


Cobalt Meets Azure

by ThatWeirdAwkwardKid



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, F/F, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-07-24 02:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20018425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWeirdAwkwardKid/pseuds/ThatWeirdAwkwardKid
Summary: Beca is a loner and is bullied constantly, but the torment starts to matter less to her as she meets a unique individual with a massive secret. Secret or no secret though, they just somehow make each other's lives better. High school Bechloe AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Firstly, a lot more of this story is posted on Fanfiction.net but I thought I’d bring it over here too. I’m really only copy and pasting it so um, yeah. This is just a little edit note. I only have a basic outline for this story so I'm pretty much winging it and writing whatever comes to mind. I'm looking forward to see the results. Enjoy!

Beca was jolted awake by the sound of her blaring alarm. She looked over to see the time and groaned. If only her alarm didn't go off so she wouldn't have to go to school although her second alarm, that being her mother, would make sure she goes anyways.

"Beca! Get up! It's time to get ready for school!" The young brunette heard her mom yell. She rolled her eyes and got out of bed, ready for another day of hell.

After showering and getting dressed, Beca made her way downstairs and found her mom in the kitchen eating breakfast.

"Morning Mom." Beca said before she got an apple and took a bite out of it.

"Morning Becs! Ready for another day at school?" The young girl just shrugged and continued to eat her apple. Beca's mom shook her head to herself, she had no idea why her daughter despised school so much. Her grades were fine, above average even and she rarely got into trouble. Seeing her daughter about to leave, she dismissed the thought, chalking up to teens just hating school and said goodbye.

As Beca walked to school, she contemplated just skipping it altogether but she knew she had to go back eventually. Why couldn't she just stay home and educate herself there? It'll give her more time to work on her remixes too. Instead, she had to go to where all of them were. Beca shook herself out of her thoughts as she saw the school come into her view. She sighed and tried to push all the fear away as she walked into the school with her head down.

"Oh great! The goth's back!" Was the first thing Beca heard when she was in the hallway. She ignored it and headed straight for her locker which was only a few feet away. What she didn't expect was to be tripped up and to fall straight to the ground. Immediately laughter was heard, it sounded like the entire school was laughing at her but it really was only a few people since it was still early in the morning. If this happened at any other time later in the day then the whole school would indeed be laughing at her. Beca picked herself up and as soon as she was standing properly, she got slammed right into the wall behind her.

"Nice fall you had there. If only it made you crack your head open." Bumper, the leader of the group who tortured her everyday, said to her, causing his group to snicker. His hands were still on her shoulders, squeezing them harder as he made that comment.

Beca knew to not reply as that just made things worse for her. She also decided to never let the pain they cause her to show. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction. So she stood there with a blank face even though her shoulders were aching with the intentional firm grip Bumper had on her.

"So tell me, is this the day you're gonna be any less of a freak?" Bumper asked mockingly, causing a round of chuckles again.

"I will the day you become less of a douche." Beca mentally berated herself as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth.

There was a short silence before Bumper slammed the girl back into the wall, "You're so gonna regret that you-" He was cut of by the bell and Beca silently sighed in relief. He glared at her, "This isn't over freak."

Beca's eyes followed Bumper as he walked away with his followers until they disappeared around the corner. She sighed and quickly walked to her locker as she realised she was going to be late for the first class of the day.

It was the second class of the day and Beca was sitting at the back as usual. She thought it was best to be out of nearly everyone's sight and she could still see and understand the teachers from there so it was a win-win. When the teacher turned around to get something, she felt someone pinch her shoulder hard. She jumped and quietly whimpered at the unexpected contact and heard a few snickers. She assumed they were laughing at her. When the brunette turned her head to look at her offender, she confirmed her assumptions. The boy next to her shoved a folded piece of paper on her desk before glaring at her and turning to speak to his friends. Beca looked down at the folded paper, contemplating whether she should open it or not. She sighed and unfolded it.

It was a picture of what she assumed to be her. She was dressed in black and there was a bomb on top of her head. Around her were the words 'Freak' 'Loner' 'Goth' 'Waste' 'Vampire' and a few others, some repeating. Beca folded up the paper, put it at the corner of her desk and looked back at the teacher, trying to ignore the disgusted stares and the insults people were whispering about her. She just hoped for the rest of the day to go quickly.

It was lunch and Beca went to the bathroom before she went to the school Library. The place she went everyday to get away from everyone. She saw Bumper again after the second period talking to his girlfriend Aubrey Posen. She pretty much ruled the school even though she was a Junior and if there was one thing Bumper and her have in common, it was their hatred for Beca. When he noticed her, he whispered something into Aubrey's ear and her head whipped around to give Beca a cold glare that immediately made the brunette divert her eyes. She has avoided them successfully since then.

Just as Beca was about to leave her stall to wash her hands, she heard the bathroom door open and the unmistakable voice of Aubrey which immediately made her stop in her tracks. She seemed to be talking to her minions that followed her around all day. She waited for about five minutes before she heard the bathroom door open then close again. Deeming the coast clear, Beca stepped out of her stall only to be met with a familiar cold, green glare.

"What was taking you so long, freak? Wanted to hide from us? Well that's not going to happen." After Aubrey's cold words, two of her minions grabbed Beca and threw her onto the floor. Her knees smacked hard against the floor and a shot of pain was immediately felt.

Aubrey walked closer to Beca and roughly dragged her hair to make the brunette look up at her, "Bumper told me what you said to him. Do you want a death wish, freak? Cause if you keep talking like that, you'll get one." At this, Aubrey kicked Beca in the stomach. Hard. Beca gasped and her hands immediately went to the new area of pain. The two minions behind her kicked her in the back which made her fall forward. The brunette clenched her jaw and tears started to fill her eyes. She stared at the floor, refusing to look at Aubrey out of fear and because she doesn't want to show how much pain the blonde caused her. Aubrey and her group finally left and Beca released a shaky sigh before standing up.

 _What did I do? Why do they hate me so much?_ All these questions were racing in her head but the sound of the bell signalling the end of lunch pulled her out of her thoughts. She was a little shocked. _I spent the entire of lunch in here?_ It was a little uncomfortable to breathe but she ignored it and left the bathroom, on her way for her last lessons of the day.

Beca's last classes before the end of the day were surprisingly calm and she couldn't be more grateful. She left the building and started to make her way home but she was immediately met with Bumper and his group. She tried to go a different direction but a few of them were behind her. Soon, she was surrounded by a large group of boys looking down at her with hatred.

"Isn't this great! I'm glad we found you. Now we can finish where we left off." Bumper spoke.

Beca's eyes darted around, taking in all of the faces. She only recognized a few; Bumper, Jesse and a guy she thinks is called Uni. She didn't have much time to think because immediately she felt something large and strong come into contact with her jaw. She stumbled back and fell at the contact, tears were rising to her eyes again as the pain only got worse. She looked up to Bumper seeing him lightly rub his fist he used to punch her with before walking up to her. He slammed his shoe to her collarbone, preventing the girl from getting up.

"I'm sure Aubrey gave you your lesson from her but I couldn't help giving you a little something from me too. After all, you were the one who said it to me and not her." Bumper said with a cruel smirk on his face. He gave her a hard look that made Beca look down in fear before addressing his group, "Have fun boys! I think she still hasn't learned her lesson yet."

That was the last thing Beca heard before receiving a round of kicks to the back, stomach and ribs by Bumper and the rest. She couldn't hold in the pain anymore and tears started to come out of her eyes at a hasty pace. She started to gasp and scream in agony as the torture only continued and got worse. It felt like it was going on forever but eventually they stopped, not before yelling insults at her but she barely heard it. Her mind and body were too focused on the pain she's received throughout the day and if the kicks were to continue any longer she probably would've passed out. Beca lied there wheezing while the tears were still leaving her eyes. She coughed and her mouth was filed with the copper taste of blood. She laid there for another minute or two before weakly standing up and stumbling her way home.

Beca was relieved to see her mother wasn't home and most likely at work. Her mom doesn't need to know how she's being treated at school, that'll only cause more problems and stress. She quickly left a note saying how she wasn't feeling hungry and is going straight to bed before leaving it on the table and making her way upstairs. She looked in her mirror and saw that half of her face was already starting to swell up but fortunately there was no bleeding. She slowly changed into some pyjamas before crawling into bed, her body aching with indescribable amounts of pain. She regretted not taking any painkillers before but she felt too tired and weak to go and get some. She just closed her eyes and hoped for the next day to never arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that! Who feels incredibly bad for Beca? I do. You can tell me what you think if you like!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

The next day finally came and once again Beca was woken up by her alarm. She felt like she could barely move but she got up anyways because her mom would probably walk in wondering why she isn't up yet. Besides, it's not the first time she's been beaten to pulp and probably not the last. The brunette shuddered at the thought and a wave a fear came over her but she tried to push it out of her mind as she got ready for school. Once she finished her shower, she finally took a look at the damaged caused. Her torso was covered in bruises and so Beca decided to wear a long-sleeved plaid top with a band shirt under to cover it up. It looked like it was going to rain anyways so no one would question her. If there was one thing she was thankful for about her situation, it was that her injuries didn't take a lot to cover up. She took a look at her face and was relieved to see that the swelling had gone down but a bruise took it's place. The young DJ sighed and began to place make up at that area, wincing then and again as she covered up the bruise. Once satisfied with the injury being barely visible, she made her way downstairs.

Beca stumbled into the kitchen heading straight towards the cupboard that had painkillers, ignoring her mom who was watching her. Once she took them, she turned to her mom who had an eyebrow raised.

"Headache." The young brunette said with a weak smile. Beca's mom watched her closely. She knew something wasn't right with her daughter as soon as she came in the room. Beca's face held a grimace, she could still even see it when the younger girl was trying to smile. She thought for a moment before she voiced her concern.

"You sure, honey? Maybe it might be a migraine. I don't think headaches cause this much pain."

Beca shook her head, "I'll be fine. Have a nice day mom. Love you." She walked out of the house before her mother could reply and tried to shake off the guilt of not telling her mom and making her worry.

It was still pretty dark and cloudy as the young DJ walked to school. She loved when the weather was like this. It gave her a sense of comfort and it was never too cold for her. It was perfect.

* * *

Beca came to the hallways and went to her locker successfully without any problems like yesterday. At this thought, she looked around and saw that the area was nearly empty. Thankfully also free of her usual tormentors who would be around waiting for her. The brunette turned back to her locker to get the rest of the things she needed and just as she was picking up the last book, she heard _them._ Beca tensed and waited for the usual verbal assault that followed but she didn't hear anything. Atleast, nothing that concerned her. She turned her head away from her locker slightly and risked looking at where the noise was coming from.

There was a large group. Mixed with Bumper and Aubrey's minions but there was someone else that immediately took Beca's attention. Her hair was a fiery red that stood out amongst the group. She was talking to Bumper who Beca doubted was listening as he was blatantly checking her out and ogling her assets. Her eyes went to Aubrey and she wasn't surprised to see the blonde glaring and both Bumper and the girl. _She must be new. Makes sense why there was no one here earlier._ Beca figured. Normally when someone new came, the whole school rushed over to see them before Bumper or Aubrey did because once they've seen someone who was by their standards, they'll be walking and hanging out with them.

_Another person to hate me._ Beca thought, still staring at the girl. Suddenly the girl's head turned and Cobalt met Azure. The girl's eyes were a striking electric blue which held so much brightness and clarity. They were friendly and held happiness within them. Her eyes and hair could be seen from miles away. The girl smiled at Beca which shook the girl out of her thoughts. Beca looked away once she realised she was staring and mentally berated herself as she could imagine that everyone saw her and were now laughing at her. She turned back to close her locker before walking to her first class.

* * *

The last class before lunch finally ended and Beca headed straight for the library. It's been calm the entire day and Beca couldn't be more relieved considering her body was still aching from the day before. She went to her favourite place in the school library which was a secluded corner by a window. Barely anyone came to that area and not many people come to the library in general which made it the perfect safe spot for the brunette. She opened the window and looked out of it, relishing the cold air while staring up at the grey clouds. It looked like it was going to rain which brought a smile to Beca's face. She loved the rain.

"Hi!" Beca jumped at the sound of the voice and whipped around to find the girl with the fiery red hair and electric blue eyes. The girl put her hands up, "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She rushed out.

Beca just smiled weakly at the girl and the girl beamed back at her in return.

"I didn't mean to disturb you." The girl spoke again quieter, causing Beca to look back up at her. "I just wanted to go somewhere where there's a little less people. It can be slightly...overwhelming." Beca swore she saw the girl's eyes dilate but before she could get a better look, the girl moved to the window and started to stare out of it. The young DJ wondered why this girl was even talking to her. She doesn't even know her name.

As if she read her mind, the girl turned to look back at her with a smile and spoke, "My name is Chloe by the way."

"I'm Beca." The young DJ said quietly. Hearing a response, Chloe smiled even wider.

"I like your name, Beca." Once again the brunette smiled slightly at the redhead girl before her eyes flickered down.

This gave a chance for Chloe to take a proper look at the girl. They were both standing and Beca was slightly shorter than her. Her hair was a beautiful chestnut brown that rested on her shoulders and her eyes were a mysterious steel blue. They were murky and unclear as if she was holding a secret which was pretty ironic Chloe figured.

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch and both of the girls jumped.

"It was really nice meeting you Beca, even if we didn't get to talk much." Chloe chuckled slightly. "Hopefully we share a few classes!" At this, Chloe gave one last grin at the brunette before making her way out of the library, not making a noise behind her.

Beca exhaled, slightly taken aback at the whole interaction. She couldn't believe that the girl who had been hanging out with Bumper and Aubrey earlier was trying to talk to her. Without any insults. The brunette shook her head and started to slowly make her way to class, trying to avoid catching up with Chloe.

* * *

It wasn't until the last lesson of the day, English, that they saw each other again.

"Okay everyone! I'm giving you all a class project to complete over the weekend. You will do this in partners and _please_ do the work as a team." Their English teacher stated. Soon enough they were put in assigned pairs and Chloe was paired with Beca which earned the brunette a smile from the redhead.

The bell rang and nearly everyone rushed out of class, trying to get a head start for their weekend. Beca purposely took her time to collect her things to avoid the huge crowd and her tormentors. She saw a figure hovering around their desk from the corner of her eye and it wasn't until she felt someone staring at her that she took a glance to find it was Chloe.

"I thought it would be good to talk about the project a little so we can plan where we could work on it together?" Chloe spoke once Beca finished packing up her things. Beca nodded. "Why don't you give me your number so I can call you later? To talk about the project, I mean." Chloe continued, smiling at the brunette. They were walking outside of the school and didn't notice Aubrey there with her minions.

"Yeah sure." At this, Beca gave her phone to Chloe to put her number in. While Chloe was inserting her number, Beca looked around to find Aubrey who quickly caught her eye and gave the brunette a cold glare. The young DJ quickly looked away back to the redhead once she heard the taller girl's excited voice.

"This will be so fun! Us working together, sharing ideas, you talking more hopefully." Chloe giggled causing Beca to smile unconsciously at the sound.

"Hey Chloe!" The two girls turned to look at the source of noise which turned out to be Aubrey.

Chloe waved back at the girl before turning back to the brunette, "I'll call you later to talk about the project, okay? See you later Becs!" The redhead gave the slightly shorter girl one last smile before going to Aubrey.

Beca was only able to mumble a quiet goodbye as thoughts were racing through her head. _She called me Becs. Why is she acting so friendly towards me? Have Aubrey and Bumper not told her anything about me?_ The brunette felt slightly happy with her last thought. If that was the case then this could mean that she could potentially have a friend. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt someone staring a hole through her head. Beca looked up to find both Chloe and Aubrey staring at her before the latter turned back to Chloe shaking her head vigorously while she seemed to be saying something and dragging the redhead back into the school.

Beca sighed, she knew what was going to happen. If it wasn't Chloe that wanted to switch partners herself then of course it would be Aubrey forcing the teacher to give Chloe a different partner. The brunette quickly walked away from the school, trying to put it all behind her and focus on walking somewhere. She ended up going to the town library, she doesn't go there often because normally she is too exhausted but she didn't feel like going home just yet. She walked around looking for a good seat preferably near a window, there were more people in this library than the school one but it was still relatively quiet. Eventually the brunette found a chair that faces a long window but was still visible to someone just walking into the place.

The young DJ pulled out the current book she was reading out of her bag and started to read it for a little while before something outside caught her eye. It was a quick and bright flash Beca figured out was lightning and she was surprised to see how heavy it was raining outside. She thought how she was going to get herself home dry but she didn't want to. She loved walking home when it was raining. The feeling of the strong, cool breeze blowing over her as she walked, the heavy rain slowly soaking her, the loud sound of thunder. Something about this weather was just so comforting for her. Maybe it was because very few people lurked on the streets so it was just her within her own thoughts. Content to be alone in such a calming time.

A loud bang pulled Beca out of her thoughts and she turned her head to locate the source of sound. She saw a girl who looked to be about her age on her knees scrambling to pick up the books sprawled across the floor. Once the girl got up with her arms full of books, she cautiously put them on a table which was quite close to the brunette. The girl's eyes looked over to a spot near the young DJ's chair and Beca looked at the line of direction to find a book that must of been part of the girl's huge collection of books. Beca picked it up and read the title, _The Fault In Our Stars_. She's heard a lot about this book and apparently the movie is really good too but she's never read or seen it. The brunette looked up to find the girl standing closer to her and looking at the book Beca was currently holding in her hand. Beca handed the book to the girl and got a smile in return.

"Thanks. I'm sorry, I'm such a clutz. It's like I'll fall even if I'm standing still!" The girl said, causing herself to chuckle whilst Beca just smiled slightly at the girl. The girl looked at the book Beca handed to her and continued, "You were looking at this book for a while. Have you read it before?" The young DJ only shook her head no. "Oh...Well do you want to read it? I've read it before and I have like a hundred books anyways."

This caused Beca to chuckle at the girl, "Thank you but no thank you. It doesn't really seem like my type of book anyways."

The girl gasped loudly, "Are you serious!? This book is-" She was cut of by the librarian who shushed her for being too loud. She mouthed sorry and looked back at the brunette who seemed very amused before continuing in a much quieter voice but still packed with enthusiasm, "This book is amazing! Everyone needs to read this book at least once in their life."

"I just don't understand what's so amazing about it. It seems like every one of those typical love stories that always has those stupid happy endings." Beca responded with an eye roll.

The girl just stared at Beca with her mouth hanging open slightly, "Oh my God you really have never read it. Okay, after whatever story you're reading, you need to read this book." She put _The Fault In Our Stars o_ n the table infront of the brunette.

Beca smiled at the girl, "No promises." For some reason she felt very comfortable around this girl. She was a clutz but she was funny and dorky, her sincerity in her eyes made Beca comfortable.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Emily." The girl, called Emily, said with a wide smile.

"I'm Beca." The brunette responded with a smile although it was smaller than Emily's.

Emily looked as if she was about to say something but before she could a bright flash caught their eyes and they looked out the window. The rain was even heavier now and it was getting darker the later the time got. Emily turned back to the girl, "I gotta get home before it gets too dark but it was great meeting you."

"You too." Beca replied, turning to face the girl.

Emily smiled and started to make her way towards to entrance before turning around and yelling slightly so the girl can her hear, "And don't forget to read it!" She was shushed again by the librarian who glared at her before blushing slightly and walking out.

Beca chuckled to herself at Emily's antics, she seemed like a really cool person and the brunette was really confused as to why she hasn't seen her before. She shrugged at the thought before going back to her book she was initially supposed to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me your thoughts so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salve! Nos obviam iterum. It's nice to be writing a new chapter for you guys so I hope you like it. Enjoy!

It was Saturday and Beca was in her living room watching TV. She checked the time and saw it was almost 12 in the afternoon which made her sigh, every so often she would glance at her phone but she knew it was pointless. She saw the look on Aubrey's face once she found out that Chloe had been paired with the brunette, there was no chance they will still be partners. Just as she was about to go to her room to work on her mixes for the rest of the day, her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Beca answered quietly.

"Hey Beca! It's Chloe." The redhead chirped in the phone.

The brunettes eyebrows raised in surprise. _Maybe she's just calling to say that she's not my partner anymore._ Beca thought.

"How are you?" Chloe continued.

Beca pulled herself out of her thoughts and replied, "I-I'm fine. Are you calling about the project?"

"And to see how you were! But, do you think you could come to my place to work on it together some time today?"

That was certainly a shock for the young DJ but she nervously responded, "Um...Yeah, sure."

"Great! Let's say in an hour? The quicker we do this, the less we can stress over it." Chloe joked.

After she was given the address and said her goodbye, Beca exhaled heavily. She really couldn't believe they were still going to be working on this together. Did Aubrey have a change of mind? Beca shook her head, not wanting to think too much about it and went to get dressed.

Beca stood infront of the mirror staring at herself. She decided to leave her hair out today. She still had about 20 minutes before she was supposed to be on her way and all she had left to do was her makeup. The bruise was still quite visible but it had faded slightly which made it easier to cover. The young DJ took her time into trying to cover up the bruise and she didn't stop until she was sure it wasn't visible, something about explaining why she had bruises all over her body to a girl whom she met only 24 hours ago just wasn't so appealing to her. The brunette made sure to wear a long sleeved shirt as the bruises on her arms and torso had also not yet vanished and were still quite painful.

* * *

Beca stood infront of the door to Chloe's house and took a deep breath. A large part of her still felt that this was one huge joke and Aubrey will be waiting behind the door with Bumper and all their other minions. She tried to push the thought away and quickly pressed the doorbell before she chickened out.

Chloe opened the door to reveal a nervous Beca and the brunette was instantly greeted with a wide smile.

"Hey Beca! Come in." The redhead moved slightly to let the other girl in and closed the door behind her.

"Thank you." Beca muttered as she looked around. The house was nicely decorated albeit slightly empty and spacious. The size of the house wasn't very large nor was it small, it was slightly bigger than comfortable. "You have a nice house." The young DJ said quietly.

Chloe moved to stand infront of the girl slightly and gave her another smile, "Thanks." Chloe's smile slipped as a look of confusion appeared on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared at the girl before her, she was looking at a certain spot on Beca's face. The area that was bruised. Beca's heart rate started to pick up as she realised where Chloe was staring at and she hoped the girl wouldn't see anything. Chloe looked back into the eyes of the young DJ with a more confused expression on her face.

Beca, panicking, cleared her throat, "C-Can I use your restroom?"

"Sure. It's just down the hall." Chloe replied, pointing a finger to the door.

The brunette mumbled out another thank you before she hurriedly walked towards the bathroom, glimpsing towards the few other doors as she made her way. Once she reached the bathroom, she immediately looked at herself in the mirror and inspected the makeup covering the bruise. She couldn't see any traces of the wound and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Though, that made her confused as to what Chloe was staring at but she shrugged at the thought and left the bathroom, happy that it wasn't visible.

* * *

The two girl's sat in Chloe's room, Chloe on the bed and Beca on a swivel chair several feet away. Beca never caught the redhead staring or looking towards the bruise since what happened downstairs and she couldn't be more glad. Suddenly, Chloe gasped and got to her feet with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry! I totally forgot to ask! Do you want anything? Something to eat? To drink?" The girl asked hurriedly.

Beca almost laughed at the girl and how she seemed to be freaking out about forgetting to offer. She gave a small smile and shook her head lightly.

Chloe nodded and gave an embarrassed smile as she sat back down. She realised she may have overreacted but she wanted the brunette to feel as comfortable as possible.

"Okay, so do you want to get a start on this project?" The redhead just got an affirmative nod in response so she continued, "I think it's probably best if you come sit on the bed so we can both see what we're working with."

Feeling incredibly nervous, Beca stood and slowly started to walk over towards the bed and sat opposite of the other girl. She sat a little away from Chloe and noticed how Chloe also moved all the way back until her back was touching the headboard which added more distance, but the brunette thought nothing of it and assumed she was just doing that to make Beca more comfortable.

They both sat there in silence and Chloe looked as if she was in deep thought, she had a worried expression again. Just as Beca was about to say something, Chloe stood up abruptly glancing at Beca before looking away.

"I-I'm just gonna open a window." The redhead's voice shook slightly and she shifted from one foot to the other before turning to the window and quickly opening it.

Eventually Chloe came back and sat down, looking much more relaxed. She gave the young DJ a small smile and began to talk about the project as if nothing happened.

* * *

It took a few hours but the two girls had finally completed their assignment. They were quite proud of themselves and were glad it didn't take too long. It took a while for Beca to speak a little more instead of just saying short sentences or one worded answers but once she did, the work went much more smoothly. What surprised the young DJ most was how nice Chloe was. The azure eyed girl was always patient and attentive, never getting frustrated with Beca's quiet replies. She understood the brunette wasn't a very talkative person and didn't push any boundaries, only asking questions to see what Beca thought or to see if she agreed with how they were doing the assignment. Chloe also noticed how nervous the other girl was, her eyes darting around and never really looking at her as Beca spoke.

"Well it looks like we're done!" Chloe exclaimed, grinning.

Beca started to believe smiling was the only thing the girl knew how to do. She just nodded, relief flowing through her. She was getting more anxious the longer she was around the redhead as she knew nothing about her and she really hoped this still isn't just one elaborate prank. Chloe was friendly but she was also still pretty worried and curious about what happened on Friday with Aubrey and what the blonde's plans may be once she finds out that she worked with Chloe.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Chloe asked teasingly. Beca just replied with another nod as she blushed a little which made Chloe giggle. "That's okay, I talk all the time." Chloe continued with a chuckle.

Beca took in a deep breath, "Why are we still partners?" Her voice was hesitant. "I-I mean, I saw you Aubrey speaking on F-Friday and sh-she didn't look too happy so I thought m-maybe it was because you're m-my partner." She rambled nervously after seeing Chloe's confused expression. Chloe sighed and Beca mentally berated herself, regretting bringing up the subject.

"Aubrey...didn't want me to be your partner. When I asked her why, she just shook her head and said it was a bad idea for anyone to be paired with you before taking me back to English to ask for me to be partnered with someone else." Chloe explained softly. She was confused with Aubrey's actions as she has never even spoken about the brunette to her but as soon as she found out that Beca was her partner, her demeanour changed instantly. They must not be in very good terms with each other.

So Beca was right, Aubrey did try to make Chloe change partners. Beca tried not to let it get to her but she couldn't help it, she just couldn't understand why the blonde and her boyfriend hate her so much.

"I didn't let her. You seemed nice enough to me, if not a little quiet." Chloe continued with a playful wink, smile back in place. Beca blushed, her previous thoughts disappearing.

"Th-Thank you." Beca replied quietly with small smile. She looked at her phone to check the time and saw it was getting late. "I have to go. Thank you for doing the project with me." Beca didn't see the look of disappointment that flashed across the other's girls face.

"I had fun! You've got some pretty good ideas there, Becs." Chloe replied as she got off the bed with the brunette and started walking down to get to the door.

Once they reached the door, Beca turned around to say goodbye. Chloe didn't respond but instead looked like she was in deep thought. She seemed nervous and hesitant about something. Before Beca could say anything, she felt arms being wrapped around her lightly. Chloe was hugging her. She heard the girl inhale before the hug got a little tighter, adding pressure to the still sensitive bruises. Beca hissed in pain and before she knew what was happening, Chloe's arms were off her and she was standing several feet across the brunette.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to hurt you. I knew I shouldn't of done that, I'm so stupid." Chloe rushed out worriedly, taking backward steps away from the girl. All she felt was guilt, she thought hugged the girl as softly as she could.

"No, wait! You didn't hurt hurt me. Really. I just have a bruise where you hugged me. It really wasn't your fault." Beca said quickly to get Chloe to stop walking away and so the girl could stop blaming herself. Something about seeing the redhead so upset made Beca upset which confused her but she wasn't about to look into it.

Chloe looked back up to Beca's eyes, "Are you sure?" Beca couldn't answer, she was stunned once she saw Chloe's eyes. They were covered in tears that didn't shed but beyond that, they were such a powerful shade of blue. They weren't as bright as when she first saw her possibly due to the guilt but there was...something else. Beca nodded at the girl with a small smile. Convinced, Chloe walked over to Beca, still leaving a few feet but now she had a smile in place.

Once they said their goodbyes, Beca left and started to make her way home. She did enjoy herself today even if they just did work. The young DJ sighed, she still knew nothing about the girl and she had no idea what was going to happen on Monday. Were they friends now? Who was she kidding, the only time she talked was when she was asked a question. But...Chloe hugged her. That has to mean something right? Maybe she hugs everyone, it doesn't mean they're friends. Plus, Aubrey will try and get Chloe in her group soon enough if she hasn't already. This made Beca's eyes water. Why couldn't she just have friends who don't hate her for no reason? Beca just sighed again and continued to walk home, trying not to think about anything.

* * *

Beca slumped back her in chair with a successful smile. She had just finished another one of her mixes but this one made her even more proud because it has taken her weeks for her to complete it. Almost everything she tried never made it sound right until now. She got up and got ready to go to the library, since she couldn't do it yesterday because she had to work on that project with Chloe. She's just glad she managed to complete that hard mix before she went. She loved how she could be more like herself outside of school and where no one that knew her was around.

"Hey Beca!"

Beca turned her head to the source of noise and wasn't very surprised to see that is was Emily. The brunette had been in the library for a while now but she'd been so engrossed in her book that she hadn't noticed. She gave Emily a small smile.

"Hey Emily."

"How have you been? Have you read The Fault In Our Stars yet!?" Emily asked as she sat next to the young DJ. They both turned so they were facing each other but so they could also see the large window.

Beca rolled her eyes, "You're still going on about that? I don't want to read a typical story where the guy gets the girl at the end and how they ride a unicorn into a rainbow or whatever."

Emily just stared at the girl.

"You seriously have no idea how stupid you sound." Before Beca could vehemently respond stating that almost all books end that way, Emily continued. "Anyways, I didn't see you around yesterday."

"I had to do something. Do you come here everyday?"

Emily shook her head, "Only during the weekends. I get busy with school and other things."

This reminded Beca of a question she's been meaning to ask the taller girl.

"What school do you go to? I've never seen you around here before."

Emily looked out the window, "It's on the the other side of town. I don't like the library there so I go to this one instead." She responded with a smile towards Beca.

There was a comfortable silence with the two girls looking out the window when Emily turned to the other girl.

"Please tell me you've at least read The Perks Of Being A Wallflower!?"

Beca just shook her head slowly at the girl who looked like she was about to start hyperventilating. "Again, I don't like reading sappy love books."

Emily groaned in frustration, "Again, no idea how stupid you sound. What the hell do you even read?"

This then started a very interesting debate with Emily trying to convince Beca to read her books, Beca explaining that all she pretty much reads is Stephen King books while trying not to laugh with Emily and the librarian continually shushing them. During the entire time, Beca had a feeling that she's just made a friend and she couldn't be any happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to add in some Emily. And thus began a beautiful friendship, or did it...?  
> Nah I’m not that cruel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy to see that you guys are enjoying the story. Enjoy!

_"I found her!"_

_At this, Tom turned around and looked straight at the owner of said words._

_"Are you serious?" Tom asked, feeling excitement building up inside._

_"Yes, Tom. She goes to the high school I go to." He's heard Tom speaking about Chloe enough times to know how the girl looks like. Once he knew her name, it was clear._

_Tom clapped his hands in joy, "This is fantastic news!" He exclaimed. Finally after months of searching for her, they've found her again. It's been like a cat and mouse game between them and Chloe for too long and he's not letting her get away this time._

_"What are we going to do?" The boy asked Tom._

_Tom looked back at him, excited smile still in place before deflating slightly. If they were to act now, Chloe would just run away again and they've learned from their mistakes. They'll have to do this slowly, gradually, and get her when she least expects it._

_"We wait. At least for a little while. I'm tired of chasing her around and I'm not letting it happen again this time. We start slow." Tom paused, remembering something that has been said to him. "Tomorrow, make friends with this 'Becky' girl you speak of too much. Last time I actually bothered to listen to your incessant rambling of her, you said she was working with Chloe on some project? She seems like a good way in. Chloe likes to make friends any chance she gets. Get her to trust you, through that you'll eventually get to Chloe."_

_The boy nodded, he was excited now that he could finally speak to Beca. He was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard Tom mutter._

_"High school, huh? Thought she would've moved on from that by now."_

_The boy smirked, "I told you it would be a good idea to put me in high school."_

_Tom rolled his eyes, "Yes, I see that. You've done a good job, Jesse."_

* * *

Beca walked in the school halls, heading for her locker. She sighed, she really wasn't ready for another week of hell. She kept her head down, hair covering most of her face when a thought popped into her head. Her eyes looked around for Chloe but she wasn't in sight. Just as she was almost to her destination, she was grabbed by the shoulders and slammed against the lockers. Her shoulders screamed in pain and she was sure a new set of bruises were about to take it's place there.

"Good to see you, freak. I've missed seeing you around." Bumper said to her as he pinned her against the locker. He was only with a few people from his group and they sent stares of hatred towards the brunette.

"Can't say so myself. Though I have missed you trying and failing to have this intimidating attitude when you're really just a douche with lower intelligence than a goldfish." _Woah Beca. Where the hell did that come from? And you wonder why you get beaten to a pulp? This doesn't help. Like, at all._ Beca mentally berated herself. Before she knew it, her head was bashed against a locker and her vision went blurry for second.

"You bitch! You're lucky if I don't bring the whole school to tear you apart." Bumper growled at her. He was about to punch the girl when someone intervened.

"Back off a little dude! We haven't even had our first class yet and you're gonna give her a concussion." Jesse spoke, standing infront of the still enraged boy. He was walking towards Beca to start a conversation when he saw Bumper slamming the girl's head into the locker.

Bumper didn't reply but his hands returned to the young DJ's shoulders, squeezing as hard as he could. He grinned when he saw the girl wince as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Yo, teacher at 2 'o'clock." One of Bumper's minions said to him. He turned a saw a teacher heading their way so he quickly removed his hands and gave Beca a glare before walking away, most of his group following.

Jesse watched them go before he turned his attention to the girl before him. She made her way to her locker and was trying to open it with shaky hands. He walked a little closer to her.

"Are you okay?"

Beca jumped, not expecting anyone else to still be with her. She really wished she brought some painkillers for the pain in her head. Luckily she's not bleeding but she can feel a headache coming. She turned her head to the side and was met with Jesse. She froze for a second, she knew it was him who intervened but she was confused as to why he's still here. He's part of Bumper's group and he just told them to back off. Maybe he wants to deal with her separately? She just nodded her head before turning her attention back to her locker and finally getting it to open.

"I'm sorry that they do that to you. It's not right and I should've realised it sooner." Jesse continued.

Before anything else could be said, Chloe came over to the two with a bright smile.

"Hey Beca!" Chloe greeted before looking over at Jesse. Her eyes furrowed slightly in confusion. "Hi, I think we've met before?"

"Yeah, I'm Jesse. We saw each other on your first day when I was walking with Bumper." Jesse said as calmly as possible. Chloe was looking at him as if she was trying to remember something and he was worried she'd figure out who he was. He silently exhaled in relief when he saw her shrug and nod in return.

Beca went back to her locker by now, not noticing the tension. She's glad Chloe didn't see what happened before because that would have been mortifying.

Chloe looked at the boy infront on her. Yes she's new and doesn't remember some of the people she met on Friday but she had a sense of familiarity about Jesse and she couldn't be sure why.

"Have we met before? Like outside of school somewhere?" Chloe asked.

Jesse just shakes his head, "Not that I'm aware of." Jesse lies smoothly.

Chloe nods again and turns back to Beca. Just as she was about to say something, the bell rang. They all had different classes so they separated and made their ways.

Jesse walked off to his first class with a smirk. He was going to distance himself away from Chloe to avoid her realising but at least he made his peace with Beca.

* * *

Beca sat in her usual place in the school library, looking out the window. She didn't feel like reading and she very rarely brought food to eat during lunch so she was left to her thoughts. She spent a large amount of her time thinking about why people hated her but the more she spent thinking about it, the worse she felt about herself. Suddenly another thought popped into her mind. Chloe. They didn't talk to each other throughout the day so far but every time they saw one another, the taller girl always gave Beca a smile. The brunette noticed how they were in lots of classes but unfortunately most of these classes were also filled with a few of her tormentors so she just focused on keeping her head down. She still received threatening notes that got increasingly more violent and hateful as the day continued and she felt the heat of all the glares aiming her way.

Beca just sighed and made her way for her next class as the bell rang.

* * *

It was the next day and Beca was walking home from school. The day was pretty uneventful and she couldn't be more glad.

"Hey Beca!"

The girl was pulled out from her thoughts and she turned around to see Jesse coming towards her. She felt a wave of fear pass through her as the only time someone headed her way, it was to beat her up. She didn't move and instead waited for the inevitable hits, knowing it's better to save her energy so she doesn't pass out.

"Are you making your way home?" Jesse asked as soon as he caught up to her.

Beca released a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded her head. Confused. She turned back around and continued walking once she saw the boy just give her a smile at her nod. He fell into her pace next to her and spoke up again.

"Hey, do you like movies?" Beca's face immediately scrunched up in distaste and she kept quiet as an answer. The boy saw this and gasped in disbelief. "Are you serious!? How do you not like movies!?"

"They're just so predictable and boring." Beca responded once she saw that Jesse wasn't going to take silence for an answer.

"So you don't like any movie? At all?"

Beca just shook her head. She saw that the turn she needed to make was coming up.

"I'm going this way."

Jesse nodded with slight disappointment, "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Beca!"

Beca breathed in relief as she saw the boy take the other way. Something about him made the brunette feel uncomfortable for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Short chapter, I know. Not one of my best chapters either. Hopefully that talk Jesse and Tom had will give you a little more insight into Chloe's secret. Any guesses yet?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see there’s a little bit of a Justice For Beca thing going on and I’m loving it in all honesty. Enjoy!

It was lunch and Beca was in the library as usual. She was finishing up on some homework and didn't notice someone come in until she saw them coming towards her. The brunette lifted her head and turned it slightly to see Chloe stood beside her with an eyebrow raised. Beca was pretty surprised, she saw Chloe and a few of Aubrey's minions walking together until they saw her. They said something to the redhead who then started laughing and Beca felt sick at the sight. She couldn't even begin to think of the many untrue things they were probably saying to her. She braced herself for the insults most likely coming her way.

Chloe didn't say anything. She turned to find a seat, placed it next to Beca and sat down. She made sure to sit a few feet from the girl, next to the open window.

"So. Why haven't I been seeing you around lately?" Chloe started in a faux-serious tone. Even though she didn't know a thing about the brunette, she couldn't help but miss talking to her. She figured Beca was just shy. She wouldn't dare think that she was afraid of her, there was no reason to be! Unless Beca knew. She shook her head at herself, she hated when she gets a little paranoid. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Beca's incoherent stutter-filled reply.

"I-I didn't...Y-You want..What-" The young DJ was cut off by the redhead's giggles. She blushed a bright red and looked down in embarrassment.

"Relax Becs, I was just messing with you. But I hope you know that you haven't gotten rid of me." Chloe said teasingly. "I just think we're gonna be really fast friends."

Beca looked up and gave a shy smile, cheeks still tinted a little. Chloe just gave the girl a wink and turned to look out the window. Chloe entered the library toward the end of lunch so before anything else could be said, the bell rang.

"What class do you have now?" Chloe asked once they were both ready to head out.

"Um...Gym I think."

"Me too!" Chloe responded joyfully. "We're actually in lots of classes together."

Beca didn't hear that second part as she was too busy experiencing a sinking feeling in her stomach. She just realised she had Gym and Chloe was going to be in her class. She hated Gym because it gave everyone an excuse to center on her and laugh when she 'accidentally' falls or gets a ball shot straight at her. The brunette didn't realise she slowed down her pace nor did she notice Chloe's concerned expression until she heard said girl.

"Beca? Are you alright?"

Beca just nodded and swallowed nervously.

* * *

Beca changed in the bathroom, whether Chloe noticed or not she was grateful the girl didn't bring it up when they all finished getting changed. She's been changing in the bathrooms for a while now. She hasn't changed in the normal changing rooms since that time they all ganged up on her by throwing a bunch of insults when they finished the lesson.

Beca was one of the last to enter the large sports hall and she noticed how everyone was standing in a line next to each other chatting excitedly. The brunette joined one end of the line and was about to look to see where Chloe was until the coach called for everyone's attention.

"Okay you guys, today we're gonna play a good game of dodge ball. _I'll_ put you into teams this time as some of you have a bad habit of not spacing out the teams evenly."

The coach started to separate everyone into two teams and Beca sighed as she realised that all of her usual attackers were on the opposite team. _Just my luck_ she thought. She didn't even notice Chloe immediately walking towards her after she was assigned her team.

"I haven't played this game for a while!" Chloe laughed. The brunette jumped slightly at her presence but turned and gave her a small smile. All Beca could think about were the glares and malicious smiles being sent her way from the opposite team.

As she expected, everyone was starting to center on her without actually trying to make it look like they were. They were less than five minutes into the game before Beca was hit straight in the face with the ball. Hard. So hard she fell to floor at the contact. Before she even realised, Chloe was kneeling at her side asking if she was okay. Beca didn't even see her come towards her, she was at the other side of the hall the last time she checked. _She must really like this game._

As Chloe helped her up, Beca could hear Bumper, Aubrey and almost everyone else laughing, most likely at her. The coach deemed her okay to continue and she sadly was, she felt fine apart from a pain in her nose that she hoped wouldn't bruise.

Since then, for the rest of the game, Chloe was always near her. Whenever the ball was thrown at her, Chloe would save her just in the nick of time. At first it looked like Chloe just kept happening to be around when a ball was being aimed for the brunette but it wasn't until Beca started to realise that the redhead would always catch it. Even if it was millimetres from coming into contact with her face, Chloe would always make sure it never happened. It was only really Bumper and Aubrey who liked to dash the ball at her face for fun or if they told someone else to in order to make it look less suspicious to the coach. Everyone else still mainly aimed for her, but they followed the below-the-shoulders rule. Sometimes the brunette herself would catch these ones as they weren't coming as fast and harshly but most of the time she just stood there in order to get herself out so she didn't have to play until the next round. Bumper and Aubrey knew this, and so always threw them at her head as it hurts more and it's out of bounds, meaning Beca would still be in the game. Subject to more torture.

* * *

Finally the lesson was over and Beca rushed to the bathroom to change. As she came out, she saw a re-dressed Chloe walking past her, paying her no mind whatsoever. Beca watched the taller girl walk through an exit door of the building and she noticed how Chloe's body seemed to be trembling. The brunette walked closer to the window, still able to see Chloe.

She was leaning against the wall with her eyes shut tight. She suddenly started pacing while taking in deep breaths and shaking her head as if to rid herself of something. Beca started to walk towards the exit door to ask if the other girl was alright when almost as if she could hear her, Chloe turned her head and opened her eyes to look at Beca.

The brunette stopped walking and was slightly taken aback at how dull the girl's eyes seemed to be. The once vibrant, electric blue were now almost grey. Chloe sent Beca a weak smile and before Beca could do anything else, the bell rang. Beca sent the girl one last confused, concerned glance before making her way to her last lesson. The redhead was facing forward again, staring out at nothing but thinking deeply.

Beca had her last class without Chloe anywhere to be seen and the brunette started to worry when the bell rang. She berated herself for just leaving the girl there as she walked towards her locker to grab her stuff before leaving. As she stood there, she thought she heard Chloe's voice and turned to see said girl standing there looking confused and irritated.

"Why did you let him do that Aubrey? She could have gotten hurt!" It wasn't until then that Beca even noticed Aubrey was standing there too, facing Chloe.

"Relax Chloe. Bumper said it was an accident. It wasn't supposed to hit her face."

Beca's eyebrows furrowed. Why is Aubrey covering up Bumper's actions? Surely Aubrey considers Chloe a friend and wouldn't hesitate to tell her all the mean and untrue things about the brunette. Regardless, Beca was touched by Chloe's concern and by her going to Aubrey about it meant a lot to her. Too consumed by her thoughts, she didn't notice the redhead walking up to her and only realised when she was standing infront of her with a concerned expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Beca nodded in response, she really couldn't believe how much this girl seemed to care about her.

"Are...Are you okay?" Beca asked timidly as she remembered what happened earlier.

Chloe understood what she was talking about and gave her a small smile while nodding slightly, "I'll be fine Becs."

Beca silently breathed in relief and decided not to push any further as they made their way out of the school in a comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses towards what Chloe might be hiding? Till next time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The sounds of one of many mixes by the young brunette played through her headphones as she ate her lunch in the library. She was grateful she brought food so she didn't have to run into Aubrey and Bumper at the cafeteria meaning she could eat in peace without seeing their looks of disdain. Beca was just about to open her book to start reading when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around hesitantly, she breathed a silent sigh of a relief once she saw it was Chloe. She pulled down her headphones and gave the redhead a small smile.

"Hey Becs! I knew you'd be here. By the way, that's a really cool mix you're listening to. Who's it by?" The redhead enquired with her usual bright smile.

Beca's eyebrow raised slightly in confusion, she could've sworn she had her headphones plugged in. How did Chloe manage to hear it?

"It's mine. You could hear it?"

Chloe giggled, "In a practically silent library, it's not hard to hear." She paused. "Wait, the mix is yours? As in, you made it?"

The brunette just gave a shy nod.

"Oh my God, Beca! That's amazing! You've got serious talent." The redhead gushed.

Beca blushed, "Thank you."

Chloe moved to get a chair and sat a few feet away from the shorter girl, infront of the window. Beca didn't think anything of it, assuming she just wanted some fresh air. It was no secret that Beca was exceptionally good at music. The praise she gets in her music class is definitely something to be proud of, even though all she wanted to do was crawl in a hole every time she gets called out.

"Can I listen to one of your mixes?" Chloe asked.

"S-Sure." The brunette answered. She was completely nervous at the thought of letting someone hear something that's so personal to her but she already agreed to it so there was no turning back now. She picked her Titanium mix and handed her headphones to the redhead.

As soon as the opening beats of the song started playing, Chloe gasped excitedly in recognition.

"I love this song!"

"You know David Guetta?" Beca asked, immediately regretting her question. _Of course she knew David Guetta. She wouldn't have said she loved the song if she didn't, idiot._

"Yeah! This song is my jam. My _lady_ jam." The redhead replied with a wink, bopping her head to the girl's mix. Beca was sure her entire face was red. Chloe's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Did you use a different singer? It doesn't sound like Sia."

At this, Beca's heart rate started to increase, "Uh yeah. I'm-I'm the one singing." She admitted nervously. There's a reason her mixes were so personal to her. When she makes them, she really puts her all into it. Sometimes including her voice.

Chloe just stared at her in awe as she continued to listen to the girl's work. Once it finished, Chloe took off the headphones and handed it back to the brunette, mega watt smile in place throughout, before going off on an excited spiel.

"Beca, Oh my God! Your voice is beautiful! Why didn't you tell me you could sing!? This means we can do duets together! Also, you have such talent when it comes to making these. When did you start?"

Beca blushed at the girl's kind words and replied nervously, "A couple years ago. I was bored and wanted a way to express myself. With a little practise, I started making them and now doing it feels natural to me. It's less of a pastime and more like a necessity because it really helps portray how I feel."

"That's amazing, Becs. Do you sing in all of your mixes?" Chloe was glad that she was getting to know more about the girl. She was grateful that Beca trusted her at least slightly enough to be telling her about herself.

"Only on some. I mainly enjoy putting different songs together or adding something extra to them." Beca explained, giving a small smile.

The two girls sat listening to a few more of Beca's mixes and Chloe gushed about Beca's voice on all the ones she sang on.

"My voice really isn't that good." Beca responded softly, not feeling as though she deserved all the praise.

Chloe just gave her a look, "Are you being serious? Beca, your voice is total lady jam material."

"That's...I uh...I honestly don't know whether I should be disgusted or flattered."

Chloe threw her head back laughing at the girl's response. Beca saw how the taller girls' sky blue eyes lit up as she laughed and how her perfectly straight and astonishingly white teeth sparkled in the light. The brunette was glad to have evoked such a response.

The two continued to discuss music and were pleasantly surprised to find out they have very similar tastes. As Beca spoke, Chloe couldn't help but be surprised at the sheer passion the girl felt towards the subject which made the redhead take in every word in fascination all the way until the end of lunch.

* * *

It was after school and Beca sat on the couch in her living room, staring at her phone on her lap in inner conflict. She wanted to text Chloe. She knows the girl is trying to become her friend and she wanted to do the same. Even though it's slightly harder for the brunette to do that in school with Aubrey and Bumper on her tail but she could at least make conversation by text. With a surge of confidence after thinking this, Beca grabbed her phone and sent a text to the redhead. She jumped slightly at the almost immediate response but was nevertheless glad she made the decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a good Beca and Chloe interaction.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the reviews!! It’s really nice to see that you’re liking it so far.

Beca woke up feeling more rested than usual. It wasn't common for her to have such a nice sleep. She sat up and reached for her phone to check the time only to see _10:37 AM_.

"Shit!"

The brunette jumped out of her bed, falling ungracefully on to the hard floor. "Son of a-Why didn't mom wake me?" She sighed. "There's no point going in to school now, I guess." It's not like her mom will know, she figured with a smirk as she got up and started to make her way downstairs.

As soon as she sat down infront of the TV in her living room, her phone vibrated.

**Chloe: Hey, where are you?**

**Beca: I overslept so I'm just going to stay at home today.**

**Chloe: What a badass! Enjoy your day of ditching school ;)**

Beca chuckled at the redhead's words. She would be lying if she said she wasn't glad about getting actual texts instead of 'Anonymous' threats from people in school who somehow managed to get her number. She went back to watching TV, her mind occasionally going back to school and what might be happening there. It's probably not like she'll miss much considering it's the last day of the week. Her and Chloe already received their grade for the English project and they thankfully passed. English was one of the few classes she had without her tormentors so she felt free to learn and enjoy the subject. The rest of the day was spent with the brunette making mixes and catching up with any other homework due.

* * *

Beca walked into the town library in the warm afternoon of Saturday. It was quiet as usual and like normal, the brunette made her way to the back of the library near the window when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Next to the seat she usually sits in was Emily, head down in a book, ignoring the rest of the world. It really would be a missed opportunity not to scare the girl. With this in mind, Beca stealthily sneaked up behind the taller girl and pounced, putting her hands on her shoulders. Emily jumped and yelped, dropping the book noisily on the table.

"What the hell, Beca!" Beca laughed at the girl's reaction, coming to sit down next to her.

"I'm sorry but you just looked too distracted to notice. It was the perfect opportunity!" The young DJ explained, chuckling slightly still at the image of the previously frightened Emily.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get you back." The taller girl responded with a devious smile. Beca rolled her eyes but still had the decency to still look at least a little frightened.

"How long have you been here?" Beca asked.

"Not long, about an hour ago. I was actually about to go get some food but I don't know too many places around here."

Beca thought for a moment. She didn't really go to many places to eat but she knows a few spots. "Well I could eat and I know a place."

They came across a small but cosy cafe and sat in a booth towards the back after getting their food. Time passed as they ate and talked about the different things they have in common as well as arguing about the things they didn't.

"Wait so you love Horror movies but you're not a fan of Stephen King? He's like the master of Horror!" Beca exclaimed.

Emily gasped, " _Strongly_ disagree. Wes Craven is much better by far."

"What!? Look at Carrie, It, Misery, The Shining. All classics!" Beca responded.

Emily nodded, "Fair. But you cannot deny that A Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream and The Hills Have Eyes are also classic!"

Beca paused for a moment, "You got me there." They both laughed, more so at the fact that they actually had such an intense discussion over makers of Horror.

"I thought you said you didn't even like movies?" Emily asked, still not over that fact about the brunette.

The young DJ rolled her eyes and nodded, "I don't. But I can tolerate Horrors. Especially ones with a good plot."

Emily nodded in understanding before looking around the cafe, "This place is really cool. Do you and your friends come here often?"

Beca tensed up, her shoulders rising slightly. How was she supposed to explain the fact that she has no friends and nearly everyone in her school hated her? _Relax, it's just a question._ She mentally told herself. As she started to relax, her shoulders dropped, letting a side of her quite loose shirt drop at her shoulder. Revealing the bruises Bumper made there.

Emily gasped, eyes looking directly at the large and aggressive looking marks. Beca followed the girl's line of sight and realised, emitting a small gasp of her own. She quickly covered it up with her shirt but it was too late, Emily had already seen it and now Beca was starting to panic. This bruise were one of lasts left that were still healing, the one on her face was gone as well as the ones on her torso.

"Are-Are those bruises?" Emily asked tentatively.

Beca made no move to answer. Too busy focusing at the high rate her heat is beating.

"Beca, who did this?" The taller girl asked softly. Trying to get the brunette to look at her. "Beca, you can trust me. I know we've pretty much just met but please...You can trust me."

This pulled the girl from her thoughts about running out and she looked up to see the pure concern in Emily's face. She sighed, "It's nothing."

"It's obviously something!" Emily replied vehemently, not missing a beat.

"It's j-just a few people from my school." Beca responded quietly, looking away from the girl across from her.

Emily's face was scrunched up in anger and confusion. Who would do this to her? And why? Why is Beca just dismissing this as if it were nothing? She opened her mouth to say something but she could tell the shorter girl didn't want to talk about it. She sighed and decided to put the subject to rest. For now.

"What's your favourite book or movie by Stephen King?" Emily asked.

At this, the atmosphere lightened up considerably and stayed that way until they exchanged numbers and decided to leave.

* * *

**Chloe: Hi!**

Beca awoke as her phone vibrated on her desk. She reached over and smiled once she saw who it was.

**Beca: Hey Chloe.**

As usual, the response was immediate.

**Chloe: Are you doing anything today?**

**Beca: No not really. Why?**

**Chloe: I was wondering if you wanted to hangout?**

**Beca: Okay, sure.**

**Chloe: Yay! See you later! :-D**

Beca smiled at the girl's antics before getting up.

The young DJ knocked on the door of Chloe's house and was instantly greeted with arms being wrapped around her. She took a few steps back in return but relaxed when she realised it was just the taller girl giving her a hug. It was quick and Chloe stepped back before Beca could even comprehend, giving the brunette her usual mega watt smile.

"Where are your parents?" Beca asked quietly as they went up to the girl's room. She didn't notice how Chloe momentarily tensed before answering.

"Business trip. They spend a lot of time outside of the house." The redhead explained. Once they reached and entered Chloe's room, she turned to the brunette, "So what do you want to do?"

Beca just shrugged in response, "I don't mind."

"We can watch a movie if you like?" Chloe suggested. She noticed how the shorter girl's face scrunched up at the mention of movies. She raised an eyebrow, "Do you not like movies?" Beca shook her head. "What!? How can you not like movies!?"

The young DJ rolled her eyes and groaned. "Why is everyone so surprised when they find out I don't like films? I just find them boring because they make it obvious about what's going to happen next."

The azure eyed girl gaped at Beca in shock. "So you like no movies whatsoever? None?"

"Well I can tolerate some Horror films. But they have to be _really_ good. Unless it's just a waste of time."

Chloe stared at the girl for a moment before nodding her head as if she just decided something, "You're weird."

Beca tensed but relaxed when she realised Chloe was kidding, "Why am I weird?"

"Because of your attitude to movies! How can someone not like them?" Chloe explained in disbelief. The tone of her voice sent the brunette into a laughing fit. "Wait! Maybe you just haven't found the right films!"

Beca raised an eyebrow, clearly not agreeing, "Sure...What films do you like?"

Chloe went to sit on her bed, back against the headboard, and gestured for the girl to sit with her. They sat cross-legged, opposite each other, similar to how they did when they were doing the project. They sat quite a few feet apart, Beca adding space between the two.

"The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Dirty Dancing, Heather and loads more."

Beca laughed in disbelief, shaking her head, "And you call me weird?"

"What?" Chloe asked.

"Chloe, all of those films are from the 80s. They are _decades_ old."

"They're classics!" The redhead defended, flustered.

Beca nodded, "I'll give you that. I haven't seen any of them but I've been told those films are pretty good." She looked around dramatically before looking to Chloe who was giggling at the girl's antics, and lowered her voice, "And I mean, don't tell anyone, but I'm a sucker for Beetlejuice."

Chloe gasped excitedly, "Oh my God! I love Beetlejuice! It's like, totes amazing. And what do you mean you've never seen those films? We're _so_ going to have an 80s movie marathon one day, Becs."

The brunette groaned making Chloe giggle. The redhead reached for her phone and started to play music through a speaker.

"Well since you're not a fan of movies, how about we play a game?" The taller girl suggested, giving brunette a grin.

Beca shrugged, "Sure. What game?"

"Spin the bottle?" Chloe joked with a wink, laughing when the brunette started to blush. "I'm kidding. How about Interview? Where we ask each other questions?"

The young DJ nodded in agreement.

"I'll go first." Chloe started. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Black. What's yours?"

"Blue." The redhead smiled.

Beca thought for a moment, "What's your favourite subject in school?"

"I'd have to say Biology. How about you?"

"Mine would have to be English Lit." Beca replied.

Chloe thought about her next question carefully, she didn't want to upset the girl but she couldn't fathom the answer by herself.

"Why are you always alone at school?" She asked softly.

Beca tensed, looking away from the girl opposite her. "I-I just...I don't have many friends."

The redhead's eyebrows were lightly knitted together, "Why?"

The young DJ shrugged, her heart rate rising, "I'm-I'm not really popular." There was a short silence, which was enough time for the brunette's mind to bring up some of her insecurities. Beca looked back to Chloe, stormy eyes meeting crystal clear ones. "Is-Is that why you talk to me? Because you feel sorry for me?"

Chloe's eyebrows rose almost comically, "No! I mean, I've seen how you're always by yourself but just by talking talking to you, I can see that you're a genuine person. So I couldn't understand why you didn't seem to have any friends...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." The girl explained, her voice soft.

The brunette swallowed and whispered, "It's okay." She looked down to hands. To be honest, she really wasn't used to someone having such an interest in her, atleast for a positive reason. It's hard for her to open up to people because most people who talk to her only seem to have bad intentions and frankly, she was surprised how much she has talked about herself to Chloe even though the questions were rather light.

There was another brief silence, only music being heard in the background, before Chloe's voice broke through it, "I just want you to know," Beca looked back up to the slightly taller girl. "That I'm your friend." She smiled at the dark eyed girl who smiled back. "Even when you get sick of me, just know that I'm hard to get rid of." She winked and gave the girl her mega watt beam, her words making Beca laugh.

Suddenly, Chloe's eyes widened as if she forgot something. _Dammit, I forgot again!_ "Hey, are you hungry?"

Beca just shook her head.

"I could order a pizza?"

Beca shook her head again, "No I couldn't ask of you to do that."

Chloe just raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her face, "So you _are_ hungry." Beca opened her mouth then closed it as she rolled her eyes. "I heard that this pizza place has the most radical pizza ever. Let me look for their number."

The brunette snorted, "Did you just say 'radical'?" The redhead just stuck her tongue out at her as she got ready to place their order.

"Why didn't you get anything?" Beca asked once Chloe got off the phone.

"I'm not hungry." Was the girl's reply as she got up to get her laptop.

The young DJ thought for moment. Thinking back to all the times her and Chloe have hung out, she's never seen the girl eat. Even at school. She voiced her thoughts, "I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything since I've met you." She watched the girl walk to the window to open it wide before coming to sit to her original position, laptop infront of her. She gestured for Beca sit next to her so she can see it too.

"Well I'll probably steal a slice of your pizza." Chloe responded as she pulled up YouTube on her laptop, Beca chuckling at her response.

The rest of the day was spent with Beca and Chloe laughing at funny videos whilst the former ate pizza which she had to admit _was_ pretty 'radical'. The latter was true to her word and actually had two slices, making the brunette feel better and disregard her assumption.

"It's amazing how far technology has come." Chloe murmured randomly as Beca typed in YouTube's search bar.

The brunette raised a brow to the girl next to her, "You're so weird." Chloe giggled and the pair brought their attention to the screen infront of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm ;). Also, do any of you guys have a guess as to what Chloe's secret may be? I'll be revealing it in a few chapters so I'm curious if anyone can figure it out before then. Let me know if you have any ideas!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey there! Before anything, I just really want to thank you all for the reviews! I'm loving the theories and I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story! Also, I’m superrr sorry for not updating in ages. This is going to be embarrassing but I genuinely forgot my login for this site. That’s the truth. Yup, all this time I had the chapters ready to go but I forgot my DAMN PASSWORD!!! Anyways, as you can see, the issue has been resolved hehe. Moving on! This chapter is mainly focused on Bumper and his cruel ways so feel free to hate him a little (lot).   
> Enjoy!

It was the middle of Maths and Beca sat in her usual seat towards the back of the class wondering where Chloe was. It was almost the middle of the day and normally the two would see and wave at each other in the hallways as they go to their next class. The brunette didn't have much time to think about the redhead's whereabouts as she was abruptly pulled from her thoughts when she felt a sharp pain in her scalp and neck. A fistful of her hair had been pulled hard enough to snap her head back. Beca glanced to the teacher only to see that his back was facing the class, writing on the board. Another harsh pain on her head brought her attention to the cause of said discomfort. Bumper. She forgot the boy sat behind her but now she wasn't surprised at the action.

"We need to talk. After class." Bumper whispered sharply before he let go of the girl's hair and pushed her forward, making Beca slam into her table.

Now she was surprised. The young DJ swallowed as she took in his words and thought about what they might 'talk' about. She exhaled shakily and tried to pay attention for the rest of the lesson, praying for the class to never finish.

However all things must come to an end and Beca felt her heart stop when the bell rang. She packed up her materials slowly, hoping for the boy to have forgotten or get fed up and leave. She was the last to leave the class and as soon as she entered the hallway, she was met with Bumper and just a few of his friends.

"So here's the deal, freak." Bumper started. He looked disgusted at having to engage in conversation with the brunette. "You're going to do an essay for me."

_Well isn't this cliche,_ Beca thought.

"It's due at the end of the week and I don't want to do it so you're doing it. It's not like you'll be busy seeing as you don't even have a life." Bumper continued with a smirk, it widened when people from his group chuckled.

"You don't want to do it or you _can't_ do it? What a surprise, the big macho douche isn't capable of using whatever intelligence he has to write a basic essay."

Two of Bumper's friends snickered which caused Beca's eyes to widen in shock. She could have sworn that she said that in her head.

Bumper's face was reddened with anger and embarrassment, "The fuck did you just say to me!?" He delivered a kick to the brunette's shin, making her gasp out in pain. "You dumb bitch."

The warning bell for the next lesson went off and Beca couldn't be more glad as she tried to ignore the stinging pain in her leg. She flinched as Bumper moved to hit her again before one of his friends, Uni, put a hand on his shoulder.

"Not here, man."

Bumper stopped but still continued to scowl at the young DJ, "You'll get what's coming to you, freak."

At this, Bumper and his group walked away from the girl. Beca sighed and tried to shake off the fear of what might come before limping slightly to class.

* * *

It was finally lunch and so far Beca had managed to successfully avoid any other encounters with Bumper. Once the brunette reached the library and still didn't see Chloe, she decided to text the missing girl.

**Beca: Hey. Are you alright?**

The response she got was almost immediate.

**Chloe: Hi! Yeah, I wasn't feeling too good so I decided not to come in today.**

**Beca: Oh. Get better soon.**

**Chloe: Thank you! :)**

Beca shook her head, smiling at the response before putting her phone away and opening her book. She read for the remainder of lunch, often squinting due to the sunlight that came through the open window she was sitting infront of.

* * *

It was the second to last lesson of the day and Beca found herself sitting next to Jesse. In truth, the brunette boy moved himself to sit beside the girl when he found her sitting near the back. After a few attempts, he finally got the young DJ to start talking to him.

"That's so cool how you make mixes! It sounds so difficult." He whispered excitedly.

Beca ducked her head slightly, a small smile on her face. Though they didn't have much in common, they both shared a passion for music. They both had different focuses on the topic however. Jesse more interested in making music for films and Beca who wanted to be a music producer, but the appreciation they shared for it was definitely close to mutual.

"Hey, do you sing?" Jesse asked. Beca nodded. "Well it's official. We must be together." He continued, trying not to laugh at the girl's wide eyed stare. "Think about it. You're a singer, I'm a singer, We're going to have singer babies. It's inevitable."

Beca laughed at the boy's antics which was unfortunately loud enough to attract the attention of the teacher who gave her a short reprimand.

"Sorry, Sir." Beca mumbled, her blushing face focused on her desk. She heard chuckling next to her and turned her head to see Jesse's body shaking with barely controlled laughter. She rolled her eyes at him as she tried not to show her amused smile.

"So tell me more about how you make these mixes." Jesse spoke once he finally got in control of his laughter.

* * *

Beca walked out of school lost inside her head. She was thinking of potential songs she could use to make her most recent mix but she sighed once she realised that she had homework to catch up on.

" _Finally_."

The brunette stopped mid-stride as she heard the voice. It was Bumper. A hand gripped her shoulder and spun the girl around to the faces of Bumper and all of his group. She briefly noticed that Jesse wasn't with them.

As a last minute attempt, Beca turned around and started to run but almost immediately she was slammed to the ground by a heavy weight on top of her. She silently groaned in pain as she felt the air get knocked out of her system. The boy stood up from Beca and yanked her up from her arm harshly, jerking the limb which made the girl give out a quiet hiss. Once she was facing them, Bumper stepped forward.

"See, this is what happens when you refuse to do what I say. You should've just agreed to do the homework, _freak._ " He glowered at the girl as he spat out the last word with disgust.

_That's not true. He probably would have done this regardless. Homework or not._ Beca thought.

She flinched back when the boy stepped closer to her, giving the brunette a cruel smile, "You and that mouth of yours. I think it's about time we teach you a lesson."

Before she could prepare herself for it, Beca felt something hard some in contact with her mouth which sent her head reeling back. Almost immediately, the distinctive taste of copper filled the girl's mouth. She looked back towards Bumper unclenching his hand before delivering a strong kick to the girl's shin, somehow in the exact same spot he hit earlier which made the brunette cry out in pain.

Bumper looked towards the group of boys standing behind him before jerking his head towards the young DJ as a signal, "Hold her."

Two of Bumper's friends grabbed each of the short girl's arms as the rest of the group moved to deliver a round of punches and kicks. Beca gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay silent, wanting nothing more than to not give them the satisfaction of hearing how much the hits hurt. One thing she couldn't control however, were the tears that were steadily falling out of her eyes at an uncontrollable rate.

"You're weak, you're a loser. Get it in your head."

Those words stuck out to the brunette and she would have dwelled on it if not for the simultaneous punch in the face and in the stomach that left her winded. Instead, Beca thought about the one day she might actually be able to stand up for herself and fight back. She got roughly shoved to the ground, bringing her back to reality where she figured the probability of that idea was slim. The boys continued to mercilessly kick the girl until she curled up to try to protect whatever small part of her that isn't already bruised. She felt blasts of pain every time they hit her stomach and ribs. She felt a few more strong blows to her body and head that left her teetering on the edge of unconsciousness before they stopped. It's as if they always know just when to stop.

Beca faintly felt a presence crouch down beside her, whispering harshly, "I told you you'll get what's coming." She felt a hand underneath her chin, roughly pushing her head up to meet the eyes of Bumper. "And don't forget the essay, freak."

He stood up and delivered one last blow to the girl's stomach that left her gasping for air. She heard Bumper and his group walk away, laughing without a care in the world, leaving a battered and bloody girl behind them on the cement.

Beca laid there for an undecipherable amount of time, staring unfocused at the clear sky before attempting to get up. She felt like a ton of bricks as she stumbled on her feet and exhaled shakily when she realised it won't compare to the pain she'll be feeling tomorrow once it really settles in. Her body felt like it could barely move but she had to get home. She didn't even try to stop the continuous rush of tears as she slowly and painfully made her way home, clutching her sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Poor Beca. Bumper needs his ass kicked. This was a pretty brief chapter, I know but I hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s a bonus chapter for you all for waiting so long! This is again a not so happy chapter but it'll all add towards what I have planned later in the story so don't worry! Enjoy!

Beca woke up with her body screaming in pain. Laying there for a few minutes waiting for the pain to subside a little, she got out of bed and got ready for another day of hell. She was used to how she was treated but it didn't mean it hurt any less. Most bruises could easily be hidden with an article of clothing but Beca put extra time in ensuring that the bruises on her face were covered. However, one thing she couldn't really hide was the swollen lip she got after Bumper punched her. Luckily it wasn't busted but the girl was already thinking of an excuse as she knew it was sure to get atleast a little bit of attention.

The brunette went downstairs to find that her mom wasn't there. _She must have left early._ The girl figured. She sighed in relief as she went to find some painkillers, she was glad she wouldn't have to falsely explain her injury to her mother. After taking the pills, she looked to her phone to find that she received a text from her mom, confirming her assumptions that she went in early and telling the young DJ to have a nice day. Beca contemplated eating before going but her body hurt too much to move to make anything which did make the girl reconsider going into school entirely before sighing and deciding to go. She may not be able to control being beaten up but she certainly can decide whether or not she'll let it get in the way of her education.

* * *

As Beca entered the school, she was immediately met with the sight of Aubrey and her friends hanging out by their lockers. Apart from the large amounts of noise they were making, the thing that caught the brunette's attention was the familiar sight of the fiery redhead standing and talking with them. It seemed like the other girl noticed Beca's presence too because she turned her head to give her usual mega watt smile and sent a wave to the young DJ. Beca gave the taller girl a small smile in response before going to her locker, passing the group in the process. The brunette tried to ignore the heavy feeling in her stomach when she caught a glare being sent her way by Aubrey that normally meant trouble and in result, missed the confused and concerned look Chloe sent her after she glanced at her still swollen lip.

The rest of the day went by fairly usual apart from the occasional insult or death stare being sent her way which somewhat relieved Beca, her body wasn't able to take much of anything after yesterday so she was glad.

It wasn't until lunch when Beca started to really get nervous. She knew Chloe would be curious, if not worried about her facial injury and she hated the fact that she was going to have to cover up the truth.

As expected, the first thing Chloe asked her after giving her a brief hug (Beca successfully kept in her hiss of pain at the contact, her body still sore. Unfortunately she couldn't control the way her body tensed which made the redhead look at her with apprehension) was what happened to her lip.

Beca forced herself to keep the cool facade as she answered, "Oh, I fell and my face made good friends with the ground for a brief moment."

Chloe giggled at the girl's sarcasm and Beca felt the simultaneous feeling of guilt and relief rolling over her at the fact that she managed to make her friend believe her but also lied straight to her face. _It's for the best._ She thought, internally sighing.

"I didn't think it was that noticable." Beca spoke again.

Chloe raised an eyebrow but shook her head, "It isn't." She reassured. "I just have good eyesight." The girl said with a wink to which Beca just playfully rolled her eyes at.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout after school today? Catch up on some lost time since I wasn't here yesterday and all." Chloe asked, saying the last part playfully.

Beca thought for a moment. She supposed her mom wouldn't mind too much and it wasn't like she had any homework to catch up on so there wasn't anything stopping her.

"Yeah sure." She answered, receiving a blinding grin in return.

"Gnarly!"

The brunette blinked at the girl before shaking her head.

* * *

The next day, Beca entered the school only to come to an abrupt stop. She was very tempted to swiftly turn around and walk out but she knew it wouldn't end well. Several feet away stood Aubrey talking to her friend in no other place than in front of her locker. Beca's locker. They were obviously there for a reason, Beca figured. As they wouldn't usually go out of their way to seek her out in such a way as hanging out by 'The freak's' locker. At this, Beca took in a deep breath and started to make her way towards her locker. Aubrey and the rest of those around her still haven't noticed her presence and the brunette briefly registered that Chloe wasn't with them this time. She reached her locker and saw that Aubrey was still in a conversation with her minions.

"Sorry, you're infront of-"

"I know where I am, freak." Aubrey snapped turning to give the girl a glare that sent shivers of fear down her spine. She was flanked by some of her group, all scowling at the brunette. "I came to tell you to stay away from Chloe."

At this, Beca's head snapped up to look at Aubrey. Her heart was going into overdrive and she could feel her hands start to tremble. "W-What? Why?" She whispered.

Aubrey laughed cruelly, almost amused at the question. "Wow, you really are stupid. Can't you see she's just talking to you out of pity? I'm here to take her out of her misery."

Beca jaw clenched, her eyed flickering to the ground for a moment at the mention of one of her insecurities before looking back up to cold piercing green eyes.

"Th-That's not true."

The blonde's glare intensified. "I'm not here to argue with you, freak. Just stay away from her."

Beca sighed shakily as she moved her gaze to over the blonde's shoulder, staring at her locker in defiance.

"No one likes you, Beca." Aubrey continued. Beca briefly glanced at the girl at the use of her real name before going back to look at her locker, trying to fight back tears. "Get it in that thick skull of yours. Stop trying to fool yourself into believing that people actually want to spend their time with you." The girl's voice was ice cold before she started to move, bumping roughly into the brunette as she walked away.

Beca clenched and looked at the ground, willing for the tears in her eyes not to fall. She tried to dismiss the words Aubrey spat at her but it was getting progressively harder the longer she thought about it.

* * *

Chloe didn't share any of the first few classes the brunette had so she didn't have to rush to make a decision about whether to listen to Aubrey. Inevitably, class break came which gave students twenty minutes to talk to friends, relax or get ready for the next classes. It was unfortunately at this time when the young DJ was putting her books in her locker, did she see Aubrey and her group of friends. Chloe in tow. They were talking by some lockers not too far away from the brunette. She prayed she wouldn't be noticed by either the blonde or the redhead but that was a useless hope considering what happened yesterday with her and the sky-eyed girl.

Before she knew it, Chloe was walking her way, a warm smile in place but concern etched her features. Beca noticed there was a slight hesitance and...nervousness? Chloe seemed to carry as she made her way. Two emotions the brunette would not associate with the taller girl.

"Hey Becs. How are you feeling? How's your hand?" At the mention of this, both girls glanced down at the girl's said limb. The incident happened yesterday when the two went to Chloe's house. Truth be told, she didn't think much about it after she got the stitches. She's fairly used to pain and it didn't ache nearly as much as the sore parts still on her body from Bumper. Luckily the swelling of her lip has pretty much healed itself and the rest was a matter of time. But for her hand, the doctor gave her some painkillers that worked effectively and she hadn't really thought about the injury since.

"It-It's alright. I'm fine, don't worry." She said simply. She noticed how Chloe seemed to visibly relax at this and the taller girl sent her a smile, admittedly wider than before. "Are-Are you okay?" She asked as she thought back to the girl's behaviour the day before.

Chloe tilted her head slightly. Why would she ask if she's-Oh. She did admittedly act rather 'un-Chloe' like yesterday but she hoped the girl wouldn't notice too much. She quickly nodded her head, a smaller but still genuine smile on her face. "Yeah! I'm just glad you're okay. I guess I was just worried." _It wasn't a total lie._ Though maybe not for the same reason Beca might of thought.

"You know, you have quite the high pain tolerance, Becs." Chloe said playfully, causing the girl to give her a small smile.

Beca saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and she looked over to see that it was Aubrey and her group, having stopped their conversation to watch her interaction with Chloe. She could practically feel the icy glare being sent her way and she gulped subconsciously, her heart rate starting to increase. She turned to Chloe who was looking into her dark ocean eyes with slightly scrunched eyebrows as though she was trying to figure something out.

Beca jumped slightly as she heard Chloe speak, "The bell is about to ring."

Just as she said this, the bell did as promised making the two chuckle, Beca more so in awe of the accuracy.

"I'll follow you to your class?" Chloe asked, a hesitant hint to her voice. The young DJ didn't fail to notice how the girl spoke with the slightest of nervousness.

_It must be because of yesterday._ Beca thought. She still couldn't possibly believe that what happened was her fault? Beca looked over towards Aubrey and she was without a doubt sure they were listening to their conversation. They were looking at the brunette expectantly, waiting for her answer. The brunette looked back Chloe and took in a breath, knowing the decision she was going to make.

"Sure." She said as she tried to push down the fear.

As they started to walk, Beca spared a glance to Aubrey and didn't fail to see the promise of consequences on her angered face. She snapped her head forward, tuning out the redhead talking animatedly beside her as her mind filled with fear.

* * *

Lunch finally came around and Beca only had one goal. To reach the library before Aubrey, Bumper or any one of their friends noticed. The library was the girl's safe haven in a sense and she figured that Aubrey and Bumper would be too busy somewhere else to notice her.

She was wrong.

As Beca walked down the hallways to her destination, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders that pulled her into the bathroom to meet no one other than the eyes of Aubrey and her friends. Chloe wasn't there and Beca figured that she was at the library waiting for her.

"I guess you really are as you stupid as you look." Was the first venomous words said to the brunette.

Beca felt her breath hitch in fear as her heart started beating erratically. She saw Aubrey slowly walking towards her, smirk in place.

"I guess you need some more persuasion to keep the _fuck_ away from her."

Before Beca could even register, her face was met with Aubrey's fist. There was no doubt that her lip was busted. The unexpected blow sent the brunette straight to the ground, she managed to get in a sitting position before she fell but her wrists ached at the pressure of supporting herself.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Beca asked before she could stop herself. She was looking at the ground, unable to handle the vicious stares of her attackers.

Aubrey grabbed the girl by her hair, lifting her head to meet her eyes before turning it at an uncomfortable angle as she noticed her wince.

"Because she doesn't need to hangout with _vermin_ like you."

Green eyes pierced into navy blue before a resounding slap hit the brunette's face that was strong enough to bring tears to her eyes. Beca was sure it would leave a mark. She was roughly yanked up by her arms by two of Aubrey's minions.

"Consider this a lesson, freak."

She felt a pair of hands each wrapped around both of her arms, holding back and leaving her vulnerable and unable to move as the rest of the girls took turns delivering punches, kicks and slaps to the restrained girl. It reminded her of the treatment given to her by Bumper. _Similar minds think alike._ No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears spilling out of her eyes as her already still sore body was being beaten. She hoped, somehow, for someone to save her. Someone to come through the doors of the bathroom and put a stop to it since she was unable to. Just for someone to for once, help her.

But no one came.

The two girls restraining her dropped her unceremoniously on to the ground, not that it took much effort since the girl could barely support herself. Her body slammed into the hard floor as the girls delivered unrelenting hits that left her battered, bleeding and bruised. She could barely move while her body wheezed for air when the girls finally let up on their attack.

"The bell is about to ring." An unidentifiable voice uttered. Beca didn't have the strength to lift her head to see who said it.

Aubrey lifted the girl's head by her head once more, "Just stop trying, Beca. No one likes you and they never will. You'll forever be known as a freak." The blonde spat before slamming the girl's head on the ground.

The young DJ heard them walk out of the bathroom laughing before she finally broke down. She painfully pulled herself up into a sitting position and tried to take in a few breaths, noting how it hurt to breathe. She forced herself to stop crying and clenched her jaw when she heard the bell ring. She stood up, doing so at an agonisingly slow pace and felt like she was about to collapse. She moved to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection causing a few tears to slide down her cheeks. She sighed shakily, there was no way she would be able to go to class. She stumbled out of the bathroom and slowly made her way towards the school exit, fortunately without bringing any attention to herself as she made her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brutal right? Looking back at this, I could’ve lightened up on the excessive violence. Totally my bad. Well this is the last of Aubrey and Bumper doing this to Beca without her standing up for herself. She's gonna learn to be STRONG!..Maybe. The good news is that the next chapter will finally be Chloe's reveal! Also, anyone curious as to what exactly happened during the incident that caused Beca to get stitches...?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey there. So this chapter is going to be more in Chloe's perspective of things. This chapter will also have some pretty wicked revelations and will explain the incident when Chloe and Beca hung out that left her with stitches. Enjoy!

Beca rightfully decided to not go to school the next day, her body being filled with pain. She texted her mom the night before saying she felt sick and didn't think she'd be up to going to school the next day so she wasn't surprised at the fact that her mom didn't wake her. She sat up from her bed and groaned at the wave of pain before looking at her phone to check the time. She saw that she had a few texts from Chloe asking where she was yesterday and today. Tears rushed to the girl's eyes as she was reminded of the predicament she was now in due to Aubrey. She ultimately decided to listen to the blonde. Not because she feared for herself, but for Chloe. She was used to how they treated her but Chloe on the other hand, wasn't. She didn't want Chloe to get hurt just because she's being stubborn and refusing to listen to Aubrey. She'd hate if Aubrey and Bumper were angry at Chloe for talking to 'the freak' of the school so for that reason, she ignored said girl's texts and laid back down to continue giving her body some much needed rest.

Meanwhile, Chloe was confused by the girl's sudden radio silence and lack of appearance at school. She wondered if they girl was alright before figuring that she was probably just unwell.

"You alright, Chlo?" Aubrey asked when she saw the girl deep in thought.

The red head opened her mouth as if to ask something before closing it again.

"Yeah I'm good." She smiled before returning her full attention to the conversation the girls at their table were having.

* * *

The next day Beca avoided Chloe every chance she got. She actively made an effort to walk to her classes quicker before Chloe could catch up and even went against going to the library at lunch, knowing the girl would be there.

Chloe would call Beca's name as she speed walked past her but all she got in return was a fleeting glance before the girl continued to walk away as if she didn't know her. As a result, Chloe was left confused, slightly hurt but mostly worried at the brunette's actions. It wasn't as though she knew where Beca lived since they've only ever hung out at her house so she had no way of contacting the girl outside of school except by way of phone which Beca wasn't answering her back on.

After school, Chloe was definitely worried. Beca hadn't replied to any of her texts and had been avoiding her without saying so much as a word to her. _It must be because she knows._ Chloe thought as she paced the living room of her house. A pang of panic and guilt hit the girl as she thought this. She thought her and Beca were good friends so there just wasn't any other explanation for the abrupt avoidance. She figured that the brunette is probably terrified of her or hates her and the thought of that immediately made the taller girl want to cry . The two had only known each other for a little while but the dynamic of their friendship made it feel longer. Everything seemed fine the day after the incident but maybe Beca just needed time to figure it out, it wasn't like Chloe was particularly subtle considering what happened took her off guard as she thought back to a few days ago on the day of the incident.

* * *

_"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout after school today? Catch up on some lost time since I wasn't here yesterday and all." Chloe asked, saying the last part playfully._

_Beca thought for a moment. She supposed her mom wouldn't mind too much and it wasn't like she had any homework to catch up on so there wasn't anything stopping her._

_"Yeah sure." She answered, receiving a blinding grin in return._

_"Gnarly!"_

_The brunette blinked at the girl before shaking her head._

_It was after school and Chloe waited for Beca outside her last class, giving the brunette a smile once the girl noticed her._

_"Ready to go?"_

_Beca nodded in response._

_The two walked into Chloe's house with Chloe ranting about an annoying teacher and made their way into the kitchen. Beca briefly wondered if Chloe ever brought Aubrey and her friends here too. She contemplated why the girl even asked Beca to come over, Bumper's cruel words coming back about her being a loser before she shook off the thought._

_"But I guess he's not that bad. Anyways, would you like anything?" Chloe asked, pulling the brunette from her thoughts._

_Beca cleared her throat, "Um, can I get a glass of water?"_

_Chloe nodded and went to fill up a glass of water while humming a tune under her breath. Once filled, she handed to cup to Beca but the glass was slightly wet and slipped through the young DJ' hands, shattering into pieces on the floor._

_"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Beca apologised as she crouched down and started picking up the wet pieces of glass, grimacing slightly as her sore body strained at the movement. "I'm such an idiot."_

_This caught Chloe't attention and she promptly replied, "No you're not! Beca it's alright, don't worry. Let me clean it up."_

_The brunette shook her head, "It's fine. I'm the one who dropped it."_

_The taller girl took in a breath, slightly frustrated that the girl wouldn't let her clean it. She tried again, "But you're the guest and It's just...Those pieces are really sharp. I don't want you to get hurt." She tried to conceal the slight anxiousness she was feeling as she spoke. She crouched down and started to help pick up the several pieces of glass._

_"I won't get- shit."_

_Beca wasn't paying attention to the rather large shard of glass that now managed to cut her palm. The cut was deep but fortunately not very long. Immediately, Chloe shot up and briskly walked out of the room. The movement was so sudden that it made Beca fall back in surprise, barely registering the speed at which the girl moved._

_Beca sat there confused for a few seconds before putting the bloody pieces of glass she was holding in the bin and went to go look for her friend. The house was completely silent, only broken with her own breathing. She called out Chloe's name a few times but never received a response. Beca went up the stairs to Chloe's room, momentarily forgetting about her bleeding hand. She got closer and heard something that sounded like a hiss of pain before a voice spoke out, sounding strained._

_"Beca?"_

_"Yeah?" Beca answered, still walking closer to the closed bedroom door. "Are you okay?"_

_"I'll meet you in the bathroom downstairs. I-I'm just looking for a first aid kit. Make sure to run your hand under the water." Chloe's voice sounded more tense than the brunette has ever heard and there was a slight tremor to it._

_Beca opened her mouth to say something but she lifted her hand to look at her injury and realised that blood is still flowing down her hand. It was about to start dripping and the girl quickly put her other hand under the wound, catching the drips of blood. She followed Chloe's instructions and made her way to the bathroom, turning the tap and letting the water run on her hand. The brunette watched the blood wash down the drain before jumping slightly when she heard a knock on the door._

_It was Chloe standing in the doorway, a first aid kit in hand and a small, apologetic smile on her face for scaring the girl. Her cerulean eyes moved to Beca's hand that was still under the water and stared at it for a moment before snapping up to meet navy blue eyes. She sent the girl a weak smile before starting to walk towards her, her body stiff as a board. No words were said as she turned off the tap, cutting off the stream of water before gingerly grabbing Beca's hand. She let go of the girl's injured hand briefly to search for something in the first aid kit and Beca took this time to take note of the unusual silence and the way Chloe's hands seemed to be trembling slightly._

_The brunette figured she must not like the sight of blood. "Chloe, honestly. It's fine. I think it's going to need stitches anyways."_

_Chloe's head snapped from the kit to Beca's hand as she inspected the wound. She looked back to the kit and took out a disinfectant wipe that she had been looking for before grabbing the girl's hand again and placing it on the cut. Beca released a quiet hiss of pain, causing Chloe to send her an apologetic look before quickly but thoroughly cleaning the injury. Beca didn't notice how dilated the girl's pupils were, only a thin ring of clear blue surrounding it. She did, however, know for sure that Chloe's hands were indeed shaking. It seemed like her whole body was._

_"Y-You don't have to do this." Beca spoke again, quietly. Not only did she hate seeing the red head so uncomfortable, but she also wasn't used to someone actually helping her._

_Chloe just shook her head in response, her jaw clenched. She had a slightly determined look to her face. Once she was finally satisfied with cleaning Beca's hand, she took a step back, grabbed some tissue and held it out for the shorter girl to take. Once Beca took it using her unharmed hand, Chloe silently pointed at the tissue then to the wound which was still bleeding at a slightly slower pace. Beca understood the gesture and held the tissue to the cut, applying pressure. Chloe held up a finger, wordlessly asking for a moment before walking out of the room._

_As she left, Beca took the time to look at her injury and sighed slightly. It's definitely going to need stitches. "Ouch." She whispered as the pain finally started to set in._

_Not even ten seconds later, Chloe walked in with some painkillers and and a cup of water, this time the cup was plastic. The brunette's face was one of mock exasperation and she rolled her eyes before she took the cup, seeing the corner's of Chloe's lips lift up slightly._

_"Thank you." Beca said after the swallowing the pills._

_Chloe nodded._

_"It's going to need stitches." Chloe spoke for the first time since being in the bathroom. "Not many, fortunately."_

_"I guess I should get going then."_

_The two started to make their way to the front door before Beca turned to look at Chloe, "Again, I'm really sorry about-"_

_"Don't apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was an accident." Chloe reassured the girl with a small smile which probably looked more like a pained grimace._

_The brunette nodded but she still looked guilty. It was her fault for dropping the cup and she put Chloe in an uncomfortable position due to her potential dislike of the sight of blood, even though the girl, silently, assured her she was fine with helping her._

_"I-I'll see you later Chloe."_

_When Beca left, Chloe ran her fingers through her fiery red hair with frustration and exhaled a breath she didn't even realise she was holding._

* * *

Chloe felt her heart plummet as she remembered what happened. She thought that by saying her behaviour was due to concern for the girl, which a lot of it was, it would prevent Beca from thinking too deeply into anything. It's not like she didn't want to ever tell Beca, she knew from the start that they'd be close friends. She even said so! But she didn't want her to find out this way nor in such a quick amount of time. She didn't want her to be afraid or despise her. Tears returned to her eyes and she picked up her phone to call her closest friend apart from Beca.

Meanwhile, Beca silently sighed with relief, glad that nothing physical happened today with either Aubrey or Bumper. But it didn't mean she was free from the verbal insults tossed her way all throughout. She clenched her jaw in sadness and frustration at what both Aubrey and Bumper were making her do. She did the homework and gave it to the boy before storming away, not caring about what could potentially happen to her. But she was more upset over the fact that Aubrey was making her ignore the only person in the school that didn't seem to think ill of her. _She definitely will now,_ the brunette thought with a sigh. She texted Emily like she's usually been doing since they gave each other their numbers before turning off her phone and spending the rest of her evening succumbed to making mixes.

Chloe had spent the first ten minutes freaking out to the person on the phone, worriedly rambling before her friend assured her that her worries were out of proportion and she shouldn't have jumped straight to conclusions. Chloe felt herself relax, knowing that the person was right and was glad that her friend had managed to calm her. That is, until said friend suggested something that made her eyebrows scrunch in frustration and slight guilt.

"Yes Stacie, I know I should tell her but I really don't want to." She rolled her azure eyes before responding. "Cause I know for a fact that she'll run away and never speak to me again." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she listened "Well it's better then having her practically shun me!" She huffed out a breath of annoyance at the girl's words before exclaiming,

"Oh I don't know, Stace! What reaction would you have if you found out that your closest friend was a vampire!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there it is! Congrats to those who figured it out! I tried not to make it too obvious until this chapter. So Stacie might be making an appearance...I guess we have to wait and see. I hope you guys enjoyed and tell me what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Beca woke up with a sigh. Whether that was out of relief or sadness, she didn't know.

It was the weekend, which meant catching up with her homework, playing around with her mixes and the ability for her bruises to heal.

She turned her phone on to see an influx of messages from Chloe, all asking if she was okay. Tears immediately sprung to the brunette's eyes but she pushed them down. She felt hopeless. The one person in her school who had a positive interest in her and Aubrey finds a way to get in between it. It's not like she could do anything. Her body couldn't take it. Aubrey's never said anything about harming Chloe but who knows what the blonde might do to her too. That was definitely enough to keep Beca away from the bright-eyed girl.

_Well, at least I have my homework to keep me occupied._ The brunette thought sarcastically before getting started. Her body was still aching, she'd never gotten hit so bad then in the last few days.

It was sometime in the afternoon when Beca finished all of her homework. She was just about to get a start on her mixes when the idea of getting fresh air popped into her mind. It's been a while since she's been to the library anyways, she figured.

* * *

Beca had just finished a chapter of Misery by Stephen King when she looked up and out of the window before her. The town library was a fairly tall building which provided a good view of the town itself. Beca sighed as she gazed out at the scenery before her. _What I'd do to get out of here._ She thought. Across the country to LA, that's where she'd go. She's thought about it a few times before. Not only would it give her a chance to get a start on her music career, but it's also far away from here. Which means no Bumper or Aubrey. As the girl got lost in her musings, she failed to notice a figure creeping up behind her.

"BOO!"

The young DJ jumped with a shriek, whipping her head to the source of the scare behind her. Once she found out who it was, she rolled her eyes at the laughing girl.

"Ha ha. Very funny Emily."

The taller girl was doubled over in laughter.

"Oh my God," She said in between her laughter. "I can't believe I got you. I should've recorded that."

Beca continued to stare up at the girl, patiently waiting until she calmed down with a mock scowl on her face. If she were being honest, she was still trying to get her heart to calm down, but Emily didn't have to know that.

"Oh man. Sorry, I just had to." Emily explained as she went to sit in her usual seat next to the girl. "Besides, you can see that as payback."

Beca rolled her eyes once more, "Good to know you keep to your word."

The taller girl stuck her tongue out in response. She glanced down at the book Beca was reading and smiled knowingly. Of course it'd be something creepy. She looked back up at the girl and saw that she was facing the window again, lost in thought.

"So how was your week?"

Beca turned to the girl with a crooked smile, "It was great as always."

Emily scrunched her eyebrows at the sardonic tone, it's darker meaning flying over her head. She was taken out of her confusion by the brunette speaking up again.

"How was yours?"

Emily blinked, "It was alright. It's…It's school." She said with a sigh. Her face growing slightly sombre. She looked out of the window, similarly to how Beca figured she looked out of it before the other girl's entrance.

Now Beca was confused. If there's one pro to being quiet and not spoken to in school, it's that she's learned to be quite observational.

"You sure?"

Hazel eyes snapped to concerned blue ones. Emily nodded and gave a small smile.

"Yeah."

Beca nodded, still not totally convinced but dropping the subject. They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Looking out over the town.

"Hey, uh, are you hungry?" Beca spoke, turning to look at Emily.

"Always." Was the girl's response, accompanied with a grin. With that, the atmosphere returned back to its upbeat nature.

* * *

They returned to the café they went to on the last occasion, sitting at the same booth.

"So why don't you like the library closer to your side of town?" Beca asked in between eating the shared plate of fries.

Emily swallowed her mouthful, "I know a lot of the people there from school."

The shorter girl sent her a questioning gaze.

"Umm, wouldn't that be a reason to stay there?"

Emily shrugged, "I prefer somewhere a little quieter." She responded coolly. "Besides, I wouldn't have met you." She winked.

Beca snorted and rolled her eyes.

"How sweet." She replied sarcastically.

Emily laughed before reaching down to the plate. Feeling more of the ceramic plate than fry, she looked down to discover there was only one left. She gasped and held it in front of her face.

"The last fry."

Beca watched the girl before looking down at the plate and back up to her. Before Emily could even fathom what was happening, the young DJ moved to grab the fry.

Fortunately, Emily was quicker. She moved her arm up, laughing as she did so. She didn't even have to stretch that high before it was out of reach for the brunette.

"Hey! That's just rude." Beca grumbled while still trying to reach it. She was stretching as much as her body allowed her, still being a little sore.

"But you had the last one last time!" Emily laughed. She saw the girl try and stretch even higher, her shirt raising as she did so. Her smile slowly slid off as something caught her eye.

A bruise.

A large one by the looks of it.

"Beca…" Emily whispered, eyes still locked on the slither of skin showing the girl's injured stomach.

The abrupt stop of laughter and sudden serious voice caused Beca to look at Emily. She slowly put down her outreached hand and followed the girl's gaze to her stomach. Her heart dropped upon realising what she was staring at. She rushed to pull her shirt back down, a lump suddenly in her throat.

"Beca, what…" Emily was at a loss for words. She put her arm down and dropped the fry on the plate. This is the second time she's seen bruises on her friend.

Beca had her eyes down at the table. The urge to run was growing stronger by the second. How was she going to explain it this time?

"It-It's the same one you saw last time." She uttered quietly. She cringed internally at her own answer, full well knowing that it wasn't believable.

"Beca, I–You know it's not the same bruise. That was at least a week ago and this one is in a different spot." Emily responded softly.

Beca was silent. Her mind was running a mile a minute and she was sure she was going to pass out.

"I know we haven't known each other that long but you can talk to me. Beca, what's going on? Who-Who's doing this to you?"

Beca's head snapped up at the genuine concern in the girl's voice. She sighed. It's not like she has much to lose. Emily doesn't go to her school so if she doesn't want to talk to her anymore, it wouldn't be as though she'd see her around. She gulped, at least trying to get the trembling in her hands to stop before she responded.

"I-I…Okay." The brunette whispered after a heavy exhale.

A tense period of silence passed but Emily waited. Beca was lost in thought, not even knowing where to begin. Finally, she looked up into her friend's hazel eyes.

"People at my school." Beca spoke. Her eyes immediately flitted back down.

"What…What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Beca whispered.

Emily shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. That's exactly what she said last time. She couldn't help but push a little further.

"What do you mean it's nothing? Beca, people are…are doing this to you."

The brunette could hear the frustration in the girl's tone. Her body was tense and she could barely move, let alone speak. She breathed shakily and swallowed down the panic growing in her throat. She knew Emily wouldn't drop it. Not again. _That means she cares, right?_

"T-There's two of them. They're the m-main ones. Everyone else just does it because they've been told to." Beca croaked out. Her eyes were still locked on the table before her.

Emily watched the stiff girl and her stomach had dropped. She could feel her eyes welling up just watching her friend become a shell of herself. She waited and listened as the girl continued, going into depth of how long she's been tortured by this, _Bumper_ and _Aubrey_. As she did, the taller girl couldn't help but let out some tears. Her heart was racing with sorrow and anger and her teeth were aching with how strong she had been gritting them.

Through the whole duration of her explanation Beca had her eyes trained on the table, far too afraid of her friend's reaction. _What if she agrees with them? What if she just laughs and calls me weak for being so upset about it?_ Beca pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Emily was her friend. Sure, they've known each other a short while but she'd say they were pretty solid. They text and it's not like they haven't hung out before. But they've never had a conversation this dark or intense. Once she said all she could without bursting out in tears, she sat completely still. She explained the general gist of what's happened, including the more recent bruises. The only thing she left out was Chloe and that situation, it was just too raw to talk about.

"I'm moving to your school."

Beca's head snapped up at the utter strength and determination in the girl's voice. Never before had she heard her so angry and assured.

"Wha-Emily, y-you can't move just because-"

"I can and I will." Emily responded, seething. How _dare_ they do that to her friend? Her eyes were still shed with tears, dropping every so often. How alone Beca must have felt.

Beca was freaking out. She's not used to someone actually caring for her. So much as to move to her school even just as support, but at the same time, she'd be damned if she was going to let her friend be in the same situation as her. "Emily, no. I-I can't let you do that. Please just…" She trailed off.

"Beca this isn't right!" She argued. She sighed as she knew she was going to have to explain. "I know how it feels. To be bullied." She saw the shorter brunette sit up straighter at the confession, her eyes changing from sadness to shock and confusion. "I know how it feels to be singled out and mocked. I… Earlier, when you asked why I prefer this library. The people near my school aren't the most inviting. It's not nearly as bad as what you're going through but I wouldn't miss or be missed by anyone there. I uh…Don't really have much friends. Other than the music teacher."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Now it was Emily's turn to look down.

"I didn't want you to think of me as a loser."

Beca was filled with sympathy and surprise. Who would've guessed they could relate about being alone. And how would that make Emily a loser?

"I don't think you're a loser, Emily. If anything, they're the losers."

Emily looked up and sent the girl a smile, receiving one, albeit slightly smaller, in return.

Beca sighed, there was still the whole moving issue to address. "Okay, how about this," She inhaled deeply. "I-If it happens again, you can move to my school."

Emily immediately opened her mouth to argue but she sighed and nodded. It was clear that Beca didn't want her there. At least, not yet. She seemed crazy apprehensive about it. So the best she could do was wait and make sure to keep an eye on the young DJ. She just hoped there was something out there that could help.

"In that case. I think you can have the last fry."

Beca burst out in laughter at the words from Emily who laughed in response. The air was quickly lifted, and their banter almost immediately resumed. If anything, it felt as though the two had gotten closer. There was a sense of openness between them, as though they didn't have to hide things from the other. They could...trust each other. Beca took the fry and smiled, glad that her friend was still her friend.

* * *

Beca was on her way home thinking through the events of today. The two had spent the rest of the day at the café and it wasn't until Emily's mom rang, wondering where she was, did they realise how late it was. The sky had already begun to darken as it was practically winter.

Suddenly, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. She felt as though someone was watching her, taking note of her every move. The brunette quickened her walking pace, dreading it to be possibly Aubrey or Bumper. She felt as though they were creeping up on her, requiring her to pick up her speed even more. She was about to full out run until she heard the familiar voice.

"Hey Beca! Wait up!"

Beca instinctively stopped and turned around toward the source of the sound.

"H-Hey Jesse."

Jesse walked up to her and gave her a smile.

"You alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

The two began walking next each other down the street. It was passed sunset now, and while there were still people around, it was significantly less busy than when Emily and Beca went to the café.

"Y-Yeah. You just scared me for a second." Beca explained, sending the boy a weak smile. While the two have had a few conversations here and there, she still felt quite uneasy around his presence. Understandably so considering he was part of the group that had tortured her for what felt like forever, but there was something else. Beca shrugged it off, maybe she just isn't quite used to him yet.

Jesse chuckled, "I have that effect on people." He turned to look at the girl to see her staring straight ahead, lost in thought. With this, he took the chance to analyse her. _I mean, she's cute. Really cute._ He thought. Her chestnut brown hair bouncing on her shoulders with every step she took. He noticed how her eyes were a darker shade of blue and how she has this kind of edgy look going on as well as-

"Jesse?"

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and met the questioning eyes of Beca. He sent her a sheepish smile and cleared his throat. "So what did you get up to today?"

Beca shrugged, "I caught up on some homework and went to the library. Saw someone I knew and we hung out for the rest of the day."

"You have friends?" Jesse asked incredulously. At the girl's face, he tried to redeem himself. "Wait no, I mean…I'm sorry. I just, well."

They both fell into an awkward silence. It was clear what he was trying to say. How could she have friends when he's part of the group that isolates and torments her?

"It's okay." Beca responded quietly.

The two continued to walk until they had to go their separate ways, they turned to say their goodbyes when Jesse blurted something Beca never in her life thought she'd hear him say.

"Can I have your number? I uh - I found some cool songs that I think you might like so I could send them to you?"

The shorter brunette didn't know how to respond. A part of her wanted to laugh at the seemingly nervous boy and the other part wanted to run far, far away. But just out of utter fear of what he could do if she rejected, she nodded her head and the two exchanged numbers.

"Awesome! Now there's no excuse for you not to call me." Jesse said playfully.

Beca snorted and rolled her eyes, cringing at the words.

"Yeah, maybe.

"I'll see you around Beca!" The boy laughed before turning to his direction.

"Bye." She said quietly to the retreating figure. She doubted the boy heard her but she was still a little surprised by the whole ordeal. She shook her head slowly to herself before resuming her walk back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that be that.   
> Update coming soon!


End file.
